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John Melendez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| John Melendez | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | October 4, 1965 New York City, New York |
| Occupation | Announcer |
| Spouse | Suzanna Keller |
John Melendez, formerly known as "Stuttering John" (born October 4, 1965), is the announcer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Contents |
Melendez was born in New York City to a Danish mother, and a stern Puerto Rican father who would occasionally have fits of rage. Melendez claims that he developed his chronic stutter and obsessive-compulsive disorder soon after witnessing a harsh argument between his parents. He lived in Massapequa, Long Island and attended Plainedge High School, where he was taunted by the neighborhood bullies because of his stuttering. Eventually, he befriended those bullies and got into trouble himself.[1][2]
In 1988, Melendez attended New York University's film school, and belonged to a band called "Rock Slide". His college roommate was on the verge of quitting his internship with The Howard Stern Show, when Melendez begged him for a recommendation for an internship there. The show's producer, Gary Dell'Abate, mentioned Melendez's stuttering problem to Howard Stern, who decided to see him perform and eventually, to hire him.[3]
On Stern's show, Melendez conducted outrageous street interviews, premised on the idea that celebrities would not want to look bad by refusing an interview from a stutterer. Melendez also appeared at press conferences and ask off-the-wall questions to Gennifer Flowers, Ringo Starr, and the Dalai Lama. He asked the Dalai Lama, if anyone ever asked him "Hello Dolly!", in a joking reference to the play and movie, the Dalai Lama's translater whispered the translation to the Dalai Lama and a delayed chuckle came from the Dalai Lama. It seemed like he got the joke. 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.[4]
He received national exposure when Stern's show began airing 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. Melendez had bit parts in the movies Airheads, Meet Wally Sparks, Dude, Where's My Car?, and Howard Stern's movie Private Parts. He has also 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!. [2]
Melendez worked with a speech coach to overcome his stuttering problem and was offered the position of announcer for The Tonight Show. He accepted the offer, making his Tonight Show debut on March 29, 2004. On this show, he is identified simply as "John Melendez" (as opposed to "Stuttering John Melendez") and any mention of his 'stuttering' roots have yet to be made.[5]
On November 30, 2007 NBC announced all of the Tonight Show crew including Melendez were being laid off as a result of the Writer's Guild of America strike and that when the strike ends NBC cannot guarantee that Melendez and other staffers will be rehired to their old positions on the Tonight Show.[6]
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. In 2004, Melendez provided the voice of Bob the computer on Tripping the Rift. He currently lives in the city of Calabasas, CA with his wife, Suzanna Keller, and three children.
| Preceded by Edd Hall 1992-2004 |
The Tonight Show announcer 2004-present |
Succeeded by incumbent |
- John Melendez's Official Site
- 'Stuttering' John Melendez at the Internet Movie Database
- John Melendez's biography from the Tonight show