Stand-up comedian values 'Tonight Show' job
Jessica Wanke TR:
The Arizona Republic The Arizona Republic
Mar. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
TR: Now you've transitioned from "Stuttering John" on the Stern show to John Melendez on The Tonight Show. What does this new milestone mean for you?
JM: It really says anything can happen. To be a stutterer and to be the announcer on the biggest and best late night show that there ever was, is just amazing. I'm sitting here in my office right now looking up at a picture of me and Ed McMahon, and that's the job that he did for how many years? It's just a great thing and for me it's really, I can't tell you, it's a very special thing for me. Especially being a stutterer and having this job. I was just a keynote speaker at The National Stuttering Association convention and it was just great because all these stutterers were so happy and thrilled that someone who had this horrible affliction was able to overcome it enough to get this great job. So for me it was special on a lot of levels, first because of that and second because it was always a dream of mine to work in television and it was something that I really wanted. So I guess, what it is, is that as long as you keep working hard and believe in yourself things can happen. And I know that might sound like a cliché, but it's true, (laughs).
TR: Can you talk about what life has been like since you came to be part of The Tonight Show?
JM: You know, it's just been amazing. Jay is one of the greatest guys. He's a class act. I love hanging out with him. He's such a nice guy to his staff, for instance, for the 10-year anniversary of The Tonight Show Jay, out of his own pocket, gave every employee, 175 employees, all there for 10 years because he doesn't fire anybody, $1,000 for every year that they were there. That cost him $1.75 million out of his own pocket. And that's just how he is to his employees, I mean you don't hear a bad word about him because he treats everyone so well. He lets people go off and do other things, even with me, I just sold a show to VH1, which was no problem. And there are other things that I've been offered that he has no problem with. He just plugged both of my gigs, I had a comedy show in Boston he plugged, a comedy show in Arizona that he plugged, and this is on The Tonight Show! Just an example of how he is, I was in rehearsal and my wife has a show opening in Las Vegas so we were trying to go to Vegas and get a hotel room, and I couldn't get a hotel room. So I just happened to be sitting next to him in rehearsal and he goes what are you doing this weekend? And I go, well I'm trying to get a hotel room in Vegas, he goes, well, what's the problem? I go, they're all booked. He picks up the phone and makes a call; before I know it I'm sitting in a huge suite in Vegas, two floors! For me and my family. And that's the kind of guy he is.
And the executive producer, I love, she's one of the best. And the head writer is a good friend. It's just a great atmosphere. Listen, I loved a lot of days at the Stern show too, but there was, as you know, a lot of fighting and angst. There isn't any of that here. Plus you get up a lot later and there's food everywhere! This is television. Arty always said to me, John when you get to television you get treated so much better and it's true. I have a parking spot right next to the front door, two cars away from Jay's and Kevin's (Eubanks). Food everywhere and drinks and ice cream, it's just amazing.
TR: It sounds like quite a change in atmosphere.
JM: Yeah, it's also like a way to get into more television things and film things for me. Because as great as the Stern show is, you're doing a lot more bluer stuff. Like even in my comedy show, when I was doing a lot of blue standup, I had to clean that up. But it's still going to be funny, I promise!
TR: I heard that after you left Stern said some things on his show about Jay Leno and how he stole you away and it sounded a little bitter. Was that real bitterness, or was that just his personality on the air?
JM: Oh I think that was completely real. Anything he was doing to Jay on the air, I think he truly believes. In retrospect, that's why I'm glad I didn't say anything to him (before finalizing the new job), because imagine I did and this was the reaction he had toward Jay and God forbid he talked to Jay and made Jay feel bad, then maybe I wouldn't have this job right now. And I couldn't take that chance. And yeah, I think that's real and it's unfortunate because Howard was a friend and he was a good friend, I mean I went out to dinner with Howard a lot, and I would still hang out with him now, but the whole thing when he was trashing Jay, it didn't really upset Jay, but it upset me because I felt it was kind of my fault, like Jay is hearing this because of me. And it's unfortunate and yes, I think Howard is serious about it. Listen, the upside too, is I have these two icons fighting over me, which is pretty cool!
TR: I was going to ask if you were still on good terms with Stern, but you used the past tense when you called him your friend. You don't consider him a friend anymore?
JM: I tried to leave on good terms, I really did.
Here's the honest truth, I'll give you this: I was on the phone with Howard, we were all going to Vegas, it was a week of hiatus, I said listen, I'm going to leave the show to be the new announcer on The Tonight Show and he was like, that's great, I'm happy for you, let's all celebrate in Vegas. I mean, not Vegas, but Atlantic City. We were all going there anyway. So we go to Atlantic City and everything's fine, and then three hours later his girlfriend tells my wife that he's not mad at me, but he's livid at Jay. So it went from, that's great news, to Jay's going to hear it on the air. Like and it changed in a few hours. But I still stuck it out the last two weeks and did a week on the air and heard all the negative phone calls. I'm a trooper, I'll take it. I'm sure it was good for the show. So I left and a month or two later we both had shows in Vegas. The Tonight Show was there and also the Stern show was there. So I called Howard and I was hoping I could hook up with him in Vegas and he never called me back. And then I heard, again this is second hand, but someone said he was on the air saying when people leave his show he can't be friends with them any more, it's like out of sight, out of mind. And that was it. I was like, okay.
When I left I gave him a clock that said 'Thank you' from Tiffany (& Co.), a silver clock. I do thank him for giving me my start and, like I said, I had a lot of great times there. I wanted to leave on as good terms as possible and I was hoping to continue a friendship with him. But unfortunately I tried, and it doesn't look like it's going to happen. Although the weird thing is his girlfriend and my wife are still good friends.
TR: Do you think things will eventually smooth over?
JM: I don't know. He just sent us gifts because we just had a new baby. According to all my friends that are still at the Stern show, they all say he's not mad at me. So hopefully if one day I see him in New York I would love to have a drink with him. I don't have any hard feelings. I did what I thought was best for me and my family.
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