Howard Stern Addresses Lawsuit From Former Assistant: 'A Thinly Veiled Attempted Shakedown'

Howard Stern has filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit from a former executive assistant alleging he and his wife, Beth Stern, created a hostile work environment.

In a lawsuit filed on April 5, Leslie Kuhn claimed that she was forced to sign a confidentiality agreement and a non-disclosure agreement in Feb. 2026 at the time of her "manufactured" termination.

Kuhn alleged that her termination "was the result of, among other things, a hostile work environment and enablement of that hostile work environment, immense pressures on the household created by irresponsible and untenable animal rescue and fostering operations occurring on site, and massively disorganized and questionable business operations and accounting practices."

In a statement toEntertainment Weekly, Stern's attorney said of the lawsuit, "We are not going to play this out in public. The Sterns are entitled to enforce nondisclosure agreements signed by employees who enter their home and their private life, and they have filed a motion to address the lawsuit and the conduct of Ms. Kuhn and her lawyer."

In court documents obtained by Entertainment Weekly filed on Wednesday, April 29, Stern called Kuhn's lawsuit, "a thinly veiled attempted shakedown" and claimed that she "hatched a plan to extract a staggering 'hush-money' payment" from him.

Stern also alleges that Kuhn, pretends she filed this action to 'protect her reputation' and defend herself against 'accusations' defendants made" but that "the only reason Kuhn's termination has become public is because she and her counsel chose to file this sensationalized lawsuit, announced her termination to the world, and then deliberately fanned media attention."





Stern said that Kuhn's lawsuit is founded on "a series of bald-faced lies." He continued to claim that she is asking the court to "free her from confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements that she indisputably signed."

Stern's attorney also disputed Kuhn's allegations of the Sterns creating a hostile work environment. "Kuhn's baseless, inflammatory allegation was not asserted for any legitimate purpose but solely to generate salacious headlines and to pressure defendants into capitulating," the Stern's attorney said in the filing.

Stern's legal team added, "Kuhn's conduct underscores why parties like [the] defendants - which include famous public figures - are entitled to safeguard their privacy by contractually requiring those granted access to their homes and personal lives to sign agreements."

Kuhn's attorney said to Entertainment Weekly that her legal team stands in "vigorous opposition" to Stern's filing and that it is not "a threat to Ms. Kuhn's claims, factually or legally."

Kuhn had worked primarily in the Stern's mansion in the Hamptons from Jan. 2024 to Feb. 2026 and had previously worked as an office manager SiriusXM's The Howard Stern Show since 2022. Kuhn also worked closely with Beth with her nonprofit organization Beth's Furry Friends.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 12:10 PM.