It wasn’t all that long ago that this celebrity was on morning radio every day, and then parlayed that into a late night gig on the at the time, highest rated late night show.

Now he drives an Uber and substitute teaches to earn a living.

John Melendez aka Stuttering John

The Howard Stern Show

Highest rated late night show: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

Ex-Howard Stern Employee ‘Stuttering John’ Melendez Vows To Appeal Lawsuit Dismissal In Battle Against Shock Jock & SiriusXM, Implies Other Former Staffers May Join His Fight

Ex-Howard Stern employee “Stuttering John” Melendez is vowing to appeal his lawsuit dismissal in his battle against the famed shock jock and SiriusXM, and says other former staffers may follow suit.

In his filing from last August, Melendez sought unspecified damages from Sirius XM Holdings Inc., claiming the company profited from illegally exploiting his celebrity on channels dedicated to Stern.

Melendez alleged that SiriusXM and Stern used his name, persona and voice from old recordings without his permission in order to attract more listeners and sell more advertising.

In June, however, United States District Judge Paul Crotty in Manhattan, New York, ruled that federal copyright law preempted Melendez’s claims that the company had violated his publicity rights under California law.

During a recent appearance on Kermit And Friends, Melendez told host and former Howard Stern writer Elisa Jordana he was not embarrassed by the loss in court and that he was in the process of appealing the decision.

“I’m appealing right now,” he explained. “And just keep in mind, there are a lot of people behind me. I can give names: Steve Grillo and Scott DePace and Doug Goodstein. There are a lot of people who are being abused, their likeness being abused. They don’t wanna be played anymore.” – Source

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