Announcer’s future with Leno unclear

By Jerry Fink

Monday, May 4, 2009 | 2 a.m.

“Stuttering” John Melendez laughs nervously when he talks about Jay Leno leaving as host of “The Tonight Show” this month.

Melendez has been the show’s announcer for the past five years — and he’s not sure whether there will be a spot for him on Leno’s new prime-time talk show.

“After May 29 I get on my knees and pray and hope Jay brings me to the new show,” Melendez says with a stutter from his home in Calabasas in Southern California. “I’m anticipating I’m going with Jay, but there’s no guarantees. A lot of people haven’t been told yet. We’re all just waiting and hoping.”

Melendez brings his stand-up comedy act to Harrah’s Improv Friday and Saturday.

He’s well known for the guerrilla interviews he did on the Howard Stern show for almost 15 years, interviews that sometimes got him kicked, punched, slapped and cursed.

When Leno hired him away from Stern, Stern wasn’t happy, and he often has expressed his dissatisfaction profanely over the years.

Q: Do you have any regrets about leaving Stern for Leno?

Not a regret. I’ve been very active. Besides Leno I just started doing webisodes for my Web site (johnmelendez.tv). I just sold a movie to National Lampoon. I’m always doing stuff.

Do his fans resent your leaving?

A fair share appreciate I left to better my life. But some people, if Howard says John’s an idiot, a lot of fans will follow suit and send me horrendous e-mails. One guy wrote, “John, please kill yourself.” I wrote back, “Thanks, dad.”

What’s Stern really like?

I have always maintained that the guy you hear on the air is the real guy. Some people say he’s a great guy off the air, and on the air is all an act. I go, no, off the air is just an act. He gets to say what he really wants on the air. Off the air he won’t say what he really wants to. When he says things on the air, it’s accurate about how he feels. Sure, it’s a comedy show, so sometimes he will elaborate.

Do you have any contact with him?

It’s a weird situation. My wife is good friends with his wife. We were invited to his wedding, mostly because my wife is good friends with his wife. My wife went, but I couldn’t go. The wedding was on a Friday and I had to work, otherwise I would have went. My wife had a great time, she got to see a lot of old friends. For me there are no hard feelings. I’m not looking for a battle of some kind. I love the Stern show. He gave me a start and I appreciate it, but at the same time it’s not always good to hear all the bad things he says about me.

Since moving to the Leno show, are you stifled? You were a big part of the Stern show.

I’ve written a few jokes. A lot of things I’ve written have gotten on the show. I’m not saying my percentages are as great as some of the writers he’s had in the past 17 years, but I’ve gotten a good amount of stuff on. I’m also the warm-up guy for every show. I go out 15 minutes before showtime and get the crowd going, do some jokes, play the guitar, do a couple of comedy songs. I’m hoping at end of day that it helps me get a job with the new show.

How is working for Leno?

Jay is one of the nicest guys in the world. He’s a gracious guy, great to his employees. He’s approachable and willing to help at anytime. He’s always been that way.

What’s your favorite part of the show?

Rehearsals. There’s nothing better than hanging out with Jay and the writers and producers, goofing around. It’s all in good fun. Nothing bad is said. It’s a good time. I think Jay gets a kick out of me, as I do him. I wish we could put a camera on the rehearsal and put it on the Web, It would be hysterical.

What’s your comedy routine like?

There’s so much to talk about with “The Tonight Show” and the Stern show and their juxtaposition. Also my being Catholic and married to a Jewish woman whose mother can’t stand me. Having kids half-Jewish and half-Catholic, I call them Jewathlics. There’s so much going on, including me being a father and raising three kids and living in a freaking affluent community like Calabasas — my family’s like the Calabasas Hillbillies. We just don’t belong.