Is Jay Leno Ripping Off Howard Stern?

By Jo Piazza Posted Oct 20th 2009 05:04PM

It is never a good idea to go upsetting Howard Stern, but Jay Leno managed to get himself in the 'King of All Media's cross hairs last week. Stern ripped the NBC talk show host a new one on his morning Sirius radio show last Tuesday, accusing Jay of stealing one of his bits. Leno had invited NFL commentator Terry Bradshaw onto his show to square off against a chicken in choosing the week's football winners. Cute idea, except it was a bit Howard began doing years ago, first with a chicken and then with a monkey.

Of course it could be entirely possible that the idea of poultry selecting the week's football picks could just be such the perfect comic trope that two separate teams of comedy writers came up with the same idea, but Howard didn't seem to think so.

"This must be a giant 'Punk'd' on me. This guy's ripped off like ten major things from my show. But the chicken thing we did for years," Stern said on 'The Howard Stern Show' last week.

Stern was so peeved at what he believed to be Leno's thievery that he asked producer Gary Dell'Abate to send a tape of his chicken skit over to the Leno show.

Screenshot Pulled from Longtime Stern Archivist MarksFriggin.com of a Football Show From Nov. 10, 2003 including Sanders, a Real Chicken

Last Week, Chicken Football Picks With Leno and Terry Bradshaw

"Actually, you know what I'm going to do? 'Hey Gary, send a tape to Jay Leno personally... a tape of us having a chicken pick our winners...just so he knows he's a scumbag. He's just a f--ing con man, rip off artist, no idea mother---," Stern said.

At first Stern wondered whether or not his former flunkie, 'Stuttering John' Melendez, who left Stern to work for Leno years ago, could have had something to do with the similarity between the skits. Stern has never hidden that he was furious at Leno for not approaching him personally before he made the hire.

"Well, John's a writer on there now, did he just rip that [off]? Is John desperate to contribute? ...did he...go through old tapes?" Stern wondered.

Stern sound man Fred Norris said he would be the first to cast a stone at Melendez, but he didn't think John would swipe old Stern skits.

But Melendez stuck up for Leno in a Facebook post earlier this week. On Monday's show, Stern steamed up hearing about it, angered by thinking about the career breaks he had provided for his former crew member.

NBC didn't return calls for comment on whether Jay had received the tapes from Gary or on whether Leno was familiar with Howard's old material before crafting the chicken skit.

This isn't the first time that the Stern staff accused Leno of swiping their schtick. Howard has complained in the past that Jay swiped his famous JayWalking segment from a "man on the street" skit the Stern show used to do with homeless people. A search of Stern archivist MarksFriggin.com shows that the homeless game dates back to at least the mid-90s on Stern's show. See examaples from both below:

Stern Homeless Game with Bonus Rant Against Leno (Explicit Language)

Best of Jaywalking

Stern has also complained of late about a new Leno bit where he makes stars perform certain tasks to be allowed to plug their upcoming projects. Stern has complained that he has done the same thing with adult film stars appearing on his show for years.

In September, Stern warned that 'The Jay Leno Show' would eventually bring the entire network down around him. Stay tuned to PopEater to see how the Stern vs. Leno battle shakes out. And watch Stern make no secret of his feelings for Leno below during his latest appearance on 'The Late Show with David Letterman.'

Tags: david letterman, david letterman howard stern, DavidLetterman, DavidLettermanHowardStern, howard stern, HowardStern, jay leno, JayLeno, stern vs. leno, SternVs.Leno, stuttering john, StutteringJohn, Terry Bradshaw, TerryBradshaw, The Howard Stern Show, TheHowardSternShow

Comments

(153)

Wednesday 21 October

By Grant the Great

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Howard is a stooge and his followers are even worse.

I saw the stupid chicken trick about 40 years ago, and the men on the street is a sid ceaser show skit.

The only way for leno to steal anything from Stern is to say every other work (F&&K) and then he can probobly take sterns job.

But all the pimply faced followers of stern are in their little rooms living in their mothers attics playing with theirselves.

Get a life you loosers.

stern is an idiot and has the personality of a mud dobber.

By Peter

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Does anyone really think that having a chicken or monkey make sports picks is original? This has been going on since the dawn of time with baseball games. Stern ripped it off from some 1920's sportscaster when he did it!

By ycav4424

Stern is a lowlife.

By John

Howard Stern is nothing more than a ghetto version of Rush Limbo.
His show is crap and would have been off the air years ago until he decided to personally bankrupt satellite radio.
Jay Leno is a class act. Period

Jay Rocks.
Howard is a walking garbage can

By TOM

APPARENTLY WHEN LENO TAKES A POLITICALLY RIGHT SLANT, THEN THE OBAMA LOVING MEDIA FEELS COMPELLED TO GO AFTER LENO AS ANOTHER THREAT.
CONGRATULATIONS KOOL AIDE DRINKERS

By Howard and Jay both ripping off Steve Allen

Hey Howard, guess what........ you're both ripping off Steve Allen from the 50's and early 60's who was doing similar bits way back then.

By rose

Howard Stern is the biggest a -hole . I dont understand how anyone can listen to him. He sucks. I love Jay Leno, he dosent need naked people,girls making asses out of them self to have a good show. I think Howard Stern should just retire and just shut up.

By cecil

i think howard stern sucks he has always been a very wierd person his idea of humor is stupid i have never liked stern in my opinion he is dumb and wierd.....

By Marlene

Stern needs to get over it. There are no "original" ideas in the entertainment industry anymore. It's the same junk packaged just a little differently. He should just be grateful he's still working.

By Diva

Howard is a VERY clever, funny ,witty and talented man.He is brutally honest as well.My hats off to him.If he says Leno ripped him off, them I am sure he did !! I have not as yet watched Lenos 'new show', but from everything I have heard, it is a catastrophe, and NBC is going down with him !

By O & A PARTYROCK

HOO HOO YOU'RE RIPPING ME OFF, TELL EM' FRED. HOO HOO HOO . THEY SHOULD PUT THAT ON HIS TOMBSTONE.

By nodramamama

Jay rocks!! He wouldn't rip anyone. I wouldn't know about Menedez, I never cared for him anyway. Jay works too hard putting his show together to have the time to sit down and review someone else's material. He's an honest and decent person, which is far more than I can say for Stern the shock jock strap. He's a filthy sorry excuse for a human being. Stern, Don't flatter yourself... You can't give your material away let alone have someone go through the trouble of stealing your trash.

Wednesday 03 March

By Jay

Jay Leno sucks. he is not original and takes it in the ass by NBC

By Jim

Impossible............Leno doesn't sound brain dead!!!

By Kevin

Who really cares? If there is no copyright infringement, the only thing that could possibly bother Stern, is the fact that one has to do it on pay to listen radio, while the other does it on national T.V.

By RICH

I FIND IT FUNNY THAT LENO IS STARTING TO MAKE JOKES ABOUT THE WHITE HOUSE (FINNALY SOMEONE IS!!)

AND NOW AOL IS STARTING TO GET DIRT ON HIM---
UMM---ISN'T THAT FUNNY!!

By Steve

Howard, quit whining. So another show/comic used some of your stuff. Happens all the time. Rather than whine about it, why don't you try to create some new, good stuff (push the shock envelope forward, like you used to do), rather than complaining about yesterday's stuff. Quit driving by looking in the rear view mirror, accept the compliment that someone is copying your stuff, and push forward. Your material is betting pretty boring.

By Deb D

Howard needs to get over himself. Not everything that is similar was created by him. Has he heard of "man on the street"? That was Steve Allen's years and years ago? Those in glass houses....you know, Howard.

By Tom

Now I know why the chicken crossed the road......To get the heck away from Howard Stern! I know a lot of people like him but in my opinion he is about as entertaining as an STD. Jay Leno on the other hand is a class act! I would have gone with the chicken!

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