John Melendez: Difference between revisions - Wikipedia

Melendez grew up in [[Massapequa, New York]], on [[Long Island, New York|Long Island]] and attended [[Plainedge High School]].<ref name=AOLBio/><ref>[http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/famous/controversial.html Controversial personalities who stutter.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080418002558/http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster/famous/controversial.html |date=2008-04-18 }} Minnesota State University, 1998-10-12. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.</ref><ref name="NSA">[http://www.nsastutter.org/material/index.php?matid=282 John Melendez.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304063412/http://www.nsastutter.org/material/index.php?matid=282 |date=2016-03-04 }} National Stuttering Association. Retrieved on 2008-03-02.</ref> Melendez was born to a [[Puerto Rican people|Puerto Rican]] father and a [[Denmark|Danish]] mother. According to Melendez, he began to [[stutter]] when he was in the second grade as a result of psychological mistreatment from his father after he witnessed an argument between his parents.<ref name="SF">{{cite web|url=http://Stressfactory.com|title=Comics|access-date=2020-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191003011025/https://www.stressfactory.com/|archive-date=2019-10-03|url-status=dead}}</ref> He attended [[Plainedge]] High School]], graduating in 1983, where he was picked on by the neighborhood bullies because of his stuttering.<ref name="SF"/>

[[File:1983-plainedge-high-school-yearbook-v0-yy8ijrjcsred1.webp|thumb|John Melendez in the Plainedge High School Class of 1983 Yearbook.]]

In 1988, Melendez attended [[New York University]]'s film school and belonged to a band called "Rock Slide." His college roommate, comedian [[Mitch Fatel]], was on the verge of quitting his internship with ''[[The Howard Stern Show]]'', when Melendez asked him for a recommendation for an internship there. The show's producer, [[Gary Dell'Abate]], mentioned Melendez's stuttering to [[Howard Stern]] who, without seeing him and even before he was interviewed, told the producer to hire him.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Stern Spotlight: Stuttering John - Day 1. 04/14/08. 6:00am|website=Marksfriggin.com|url=http://www.marksfriggin.com/news08/4-14.htm#mon|access-date=2008-09-25|archive-date=2008-09-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922180516/http://www.marksfriggin.com/news08/4-14.htm#mon|url-status=live}}</ref>

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===2014–present===

====''The Stuttering John Podcast ''and Trump prank call====

In April 2018, he launched his new podcast, ''The Stuttering John Podcast''. During Melendez's podcast on June 28, 2018, he prank-called the [[White House]] by pretending to be an assistant to Senator from New Jersey, [[Bob Menendez]]. Melendez ultimately received a call back from [[United States President|President]] [[Donald Trump]] as he was traveling on [[Air Force One]]. Melendez then impersonated Senator Menendez and had a four-minute conversation focusing on immigration reform and the Supreme Court vacancy. Notably, President Trump was congratulatory regarding the outcome of Senator Menendez's [[Bob Menendez#Allegations of corruption|ethics lawsuit]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-07-30|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Bob Menendez#Allegations of corruption|reason= The anchor (Allegations of corruption) [[Special:Diff/1235662313|has been deleted]].}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/29/politics/stuttering-john-podcast-prank-call-donald-trump/index.html|title=Comedian claims to have successfully prank called Trump|last1=Tatum|first1=Sophie|last2=Diaz|first2=Daniella|last3=Ganim|first3=Sara|publisher=CNN|date=June 29, 2018|access-date=June 29, 2018|archive-date=June 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629222127/https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/29/politics/stuttering-john-podcast-prank-call-donald-trump/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The White House has confirmed the security breach.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/29/white-house-prank-call-bob-menendez-687897|title=White House scrambles to figure out how prankster got on the phone with Trump|last=Nelson|first=Louis|publisher=Politico|date=June 29, 2018|access-date=June 29, 2018|archive-date=June 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629204700/https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/29/white-house-prank-call-bob-menendez-687897|url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 2, 2018, Melendez announced that he had retained lawyer [[Michael Avenatti]] to represent him in relation to the prank call after being visited by [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service agents]] over the previous weekend.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stormy-danielss-attorney-picks-up-a-new-client-stuttering-john-who-prank-called-trump-last-week/2018/07/02/8be1fa80-7df0-11e8-b660-4d0f9f0351f1_story.html|title=Stormy Daniels's attorney picks up a new client: 'Stuttering John,' who prank-called Trump last week|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en|access-date=2018-07-03|archive-date=2018-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702155106/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/stormy-danielss-attorney-picks-up-a-new-client-stuttering-john-who-prank-called-trump-last-week/2018/07/02/8be1fa80-7df0-11e8-b660-4d0f9f0351f1_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

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[[Category:American male film actors]]

[[Category:American male voice actors]]

[[Category:American comedy podcasters]]

[[Category:American people of Danish descent]]

[[Category:American people of Puerto Rican descent]]