Years after Howard Stern’s former employees exposed their negative experiences with the SiriusXM star, another worker has sued him based on allegations of a "hostile work environment.”
Leslie Kuhn, Howard’s former assistant who managed the staff at his Hamptons home, claims she was wrongfully terminated by the radio personality.
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Highlights
- Leslie Kuhn, Howard Stern's former assistant, sued him for wrongful termination, alleging a "hostile work environment."
- Kuhn alleges she was promised a raise and bonus but was fired soon after for alleged "misconduct."
- The lawsuit challenges an NDA Kuhn says she never signed that bars her from discussing the Sterns' personal and business affairs.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, Leslie said she received a letter in December 2025 from Howard’s production company, stating that she would receive a raise, increasing her salary to $265,000, along with an $80,000 bonus in 2026.
However, she alleges that she was fired shortly after in February.
In the lawsuit, the former assistant said she was entrusted with managing the household staff of the couple’s 20,000-square-foot Southampton mansion, as well as the “extensive at-home feline rescue and fostering operations” run by Howard’s longtime wife, Beth Stern.
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Leslie previously worked as an office manager on The Howard Stern Show before becoming the Sterns’ live-in assistant. She filed the complaint in the New York County Supreme Court on April 5.
The former assistant said she was allegedly terminated for "misconduct."
However, she contends that her termination was actually the result of a “hostile work environment,” as well as the “immense pressures on the household created by irresponsible and untenable animal rescue and fostering operations occurring on-site, and massively disorganized and questionable business operations and accounting practices.”
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The ex-staffer also claimed that Howard’s company presented her with a nondisclosure agreement that she denies ever signing. She is asking the court to declare the NDA unenforceable, arguing that it prevents her from speaking about her work conditions and termination.
The document in question reportedly contains multiple provisions that would allegedly bar Leslie from discussing many aspects of Howard and Beth’s life in court.
These include the Stern family’s “daily activities and personal habits,” as well as their “food preferences, sleeping habits, [and] hobbies.”
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She would also be barred from discussing the products they consume, their choice of restaurants and hotels, travel arrangements, entertainment preferences, and political affiliations.
The NDA would prevent her from telling a judge about the location or contents of the Stern residence, or “any other matters affecting or relating to the Company and its business, and the personal and business affairs of the Company.”
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"The confidentiality agreement and nondisclosure agreement are particularly onerous, however, because they not only silence Kuhn from speaking candidly about her employment and the termination of her employment," the lawsuit states, "but they also permit the defendants to speak freely about Kuhn with impunity."
Three years before the lawsuit, several of Howard’s former staffers accused the Howard Stern Show host of underpaying his workers at a time when the success of his radio show was skyrocketing.
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Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling, who was a cast member and writer for the show from 1983 to 2001, claimed that most employees “weren’t getting paid well,” despite Howard making “countless millions of dollars.”
“It was frightening what was going on,” Jackie said in the 2023 Vice TV docuseries Dark Side of the 2000s Shock Jocks. “There was so much money coming in. It was crazy the amount of money.”
He ultimately left the show after asking the 72-year-old shock jock for a raise, which he refused.
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“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?” Jackie questioned. “Because he asked for more money? Especially when you’re friends. It boggles the mind.”
The comedian, who served as head writer, added, “He’s got all his listeners calling me cheap. And he just crows and crows about how he’s the most loyal guy in the world … which, you know, it’s funny.”
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Also in the documentary, “Stuttering John” Melendez said Howard didn’t let him “evolve and be happy.” After making $75,000 following 15 years on the show, he left to earn around $350,000 to $400,000 working with Jay Leno.
Moreover, Steve Grillo, who worked as an intern on the show from 1991 to 1998, claimed he was paid only “minimum wage, which was like $6.35 at that time” for 30 hours, when he was actually working 60.
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When he asked for a raise to qualify for health insurance, his employer, Tom Chiusano, the general manager of K-Rock—the station that broadcast Howard's show—allegedly showed him the door.
Steve then shared his situation with Howard, who reportedly told him, “Yeah, well, that’s just Tom.”
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“That’s a horrible way to do it — to not stand up for an employee that’s took care of you for the past eight years,” Steve said, adding that he had to work at a nightclub to make ends meet at the time.
“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.”
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