Howard Stern’s Ex-Staffers Revealed ‘Frightening’ Reality Of Working For The Comedian As His Legal Troubles Mount

A lawsuit against Howard Stern by former assistant Leslie Kuhn has resurfaced earlier allegations from his ex-staff about working conditions. The Howard Stern’s Ex-Staffers Revealed ‘Frightening’ Reality Of Working For The Comedian As His Legal Troubles Mount first appeared on The Blast

A lawsuit against Howard Stern by former assistant Leslie Kuhn has resurfaced earlier allegations from his ex-staff about working conditions.

In 2023, Jackie Martling, John Melendez, and Steve Grillo claimed they were underpaid despite Stern’s fortune and said he often prioritized himself.

All three were employed by Howard Stern for years but left later after not getting raises despite the shock jock making a lot of money.

Howard Stern’s Ex-Staff Claims He Was Let Go After Asking For A Raise

Amid Howard Stern being embroiled in a lawsuit from his former assistant, complaints made by his ex-staffers about the shock jock in a documentary have come back to light.

In 2023, Stern’s ex-employee, Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, opened up in the Vice TV docuseries “Dark Side of the 2000s Shock Jocks” about how his former boss was “making countless millions of dollars” as the face of the show while much of the staff remained severely underpaid.

“It was frightening what was going on,” said Martling, who worked on Stern’s eponymous show as a cast member and writer from 1983 to 2001, per Page Six. “There was so much money coming in. It was crazy the amount of money.”

At the time, Martling shared that he couldn’t wrap his head around how Stern made no move to bump up his salary despite the relationship they shared, and that when he did request a raise, Stern chose to let him go instead.

“You are beyond rich and successful, and you have someone sitting next to you who makes you enjoy that job much more. And you let them go?” Martling also noted about his former boss. “Because he asked for more money? Especially when you’re friends. It boggles the mind.”

Other Ex-Staffers Also Complained About Being Underpaid By The Comedian

Martling wasn’t the only one to raise complaints about being underpaid, as the likes of John Melendez and Steve Grillo also made similar claims.

In Melendez’s case, he claimed that he only earned $20,000 when he began working with Stern and never went above $75,000. After leaving the show and working with Jay Leno, he earned around $350,000 to $400,000.

Meanwhile, Grillo claimed that his first few years on the show came with no pay, and that when he did start earning a salary, it was only minimum wage and did not fully cover all the hours he worked.

“I started getting paid about 30 hours a week, minimum wage, which was like $6.35 at that time,” he shared. “So I got paid for 30 hours, and I was working like 60.”

Howard Stern’s Ex-Staffer Slams Him Over Lack Of Support Despite Making A ‘Million Dollars An Hour’

Just like Martling, Grillo claimed to have received no support from Stern when he reached out to the higher-ups to ask for a raise.

“You’re making a million dollars an hour, and I have to go work at a nightclub in order to survive,” Grillo reflected.

He continued, “And this is the moment I knew I was gonna leave. If that man’s not gonna stick up for me, I’m out. And that’s when I left.”

The Shock Jock Was Sued By An Ex-Employee Over ‘Hostile Work Environment’ And Other Claims

The resurfaced allegations come on the heels of Stern and his wife, Beth, being sued by his former executive assistant, Leslie Kuhn.

Kuhn claimed in her suit that Stern fostered a “hostile work environment” and seemingly suggested that the couple was not willing to give her a raise.

She was fired in February, just two months after receiving a raise letter that would have increased her salary from $80,000 to $265,000.

Kuhn also alleged that Stern says she signed a non-disclosure agreement, which she denies. She also called the document “manufactured” and said it shouldn’t be enforceable.

She further alleged that the supposed NDA prevents her from discussing her employment and termination while allowing Stern and his wife to speak openly about her.

The Alleged Howard Stern’s NDA For His Ex-Employee Had Many Bizarre Rules

Details of the alleged NDA were obtained by Page Six, which revealed several bizarre rules Stern and his wife wanted Kuhn to observe when they offered her employment.

The document ordered the former employee never to disclose the Stern family’s “daily activities and personal habits,” including their “food preferences, sleeping habits, [and] hobbies.”

It also restricted Kuhn from sharing details of the family’s consumer product choices, preferred eating or entertainment establishments, and even political affiliations.

Kuhn was further banned from discussing “any other matters affecting or relating to the Company and its business, and the personal and business affairs of the Company.”

The Howard Stern’s Ex-Staffers Revealed ‘Frightening’ Reality Of Working For The Comedian As His Legal Troubles Mount first appeared on The Blast