John Melendez
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John Melendez, formerly known as "Stuttering John" (b. October 4, 1965 in New York City), is the announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Melendez was born to a Puerto Rican father and a Danish mother; his father was very strict, and at times would fly into fits of rage. Melendez developed his chronic stutter and obsessive-compulsive disorder when he witnessed an argument between his parents. He lived in Massapequa, Long Island and attended Plainedge High School, where he was picked on by the neighborhood bullies because of his stuttering. Eventually, he befriended those bullies and got into trouble himself.
In 1988, Melendez attended New York University's film school. He also belonged to a band called "Rock Slide." His college roommate interned for The Howard Stern Show; when the roomate told him he was going to quit, Melendez begged him for a recommendation. The show's producer, Gary Dell'Abate, mentioned Melendez's stuttering problem to Howard Stern, who decided to watch him perform and, eventually, to hire him.
For Stern's show, Melendez would conduct outrageous street interviews - premised on the idea that celebrities wouldn't want to look bad turning down an interview from someone who stutters. He also provided comic interest with his misadventures, poor grammar, and sloppy pronunciation. For example, the name "Nicolas Cage" becomes "Niggaless Cage" and "Suzanna" (his wife's first name) becomes "Suzanner" when spoken by Melendez.
He received national exposure when Stern's show started to air on national television. During his 15-year run as Stern's sidekick/whipping boy, Melendez also starred in the Off-Broadway show Tony n' Tina's Wedding where he met his wife, Suzanna.
He has had bit parts in the movies Airheads, Meet Wally Sparks, Dude, Where's My Car?, and Howard Stern's movie Private Parts.
He has appeared on television on episodes of Wings, Baywatch Nights, and the U.S. version of the reality series I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!.
Melendez plays guitar and sings. He has released at least two CDs of hard rock with humorous lyrics, one on Atlantic Records and one on Razor & Tie Records.
With time, celebrities were more than willing to appear on The Howard Stern Show and put up with the jokes. Melendez started doing less and less of the street interviews which made him famous, and started spending more time with his wife and daughter, Greta.
Melendez worked with a speech coach to overcome his stuttering and was offered the position of announcer for The Tonight Show. He accepted and made his Tonight Show debut on March 29, 2004. On The Tonight Show, he is identified simply as "John Melendez" (not "Stuttering John Melendez"). Howard Stern fans claims that Melendez allegedly changed the Jaywalking segment based on Melendez's stunts, but into a less offensive style.
In 2004, Melendez has provided the voice of Bob the computer on "Tripping the Rift".
| Preceded by: Edd Hall 1992-2004 |
The Tonight Show announcer 2004-present |
Followed by: incumbent |
| align=center bgcolor=#000033|The Howard Stern Show | |
|---|---|
| Cast | Howard Stern • Robin Quivers • Artie Lange • Fred Norris • Gary Dell'Abate • Benjy Bronk • Richard Christy • Sal the Stockbroker • J. D. Harmeyer • Scott Salem • Will Murray • George Takei |
| Former Cast | Billy West • Jackie Martling • Stuttering John • K. C. Armstrong • Tom Chiusano • A. J. Benza |
| The Wack Pack | Beetlejuice • Eric the Midget • Miss Howard Stern • High Pitch Eric • Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf • Riley Martin • Siobhan Meow • Jeff the Drunk • More... |
| Howard Channels | Bubba the Love Sponge Show • Scott Ferrall • The Wrap-Up Show • Howard 100 News • Superfan Roundtable • More... |
| See Also | Show Celebrity Guests • Show Games and Bits • Sirius Satellite Radio • Sirius Canada • Ronnie Mund |
