Howard Stern Sued: Shock Jock and Wife Beth Accused of Hostile Work Environment By Former Assistant in Blistering Lawsuit
Howard and Beth Stern are being sued by a former employee.
April 6 2026, Published 2:21 p.m. ET
Howard Stern and his wife, Beth Stern, have been slapped with a blistering civil lawsuit by a former employee who claims the couple piled on relentless demands before abruptly showing her the door, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Lesley Kuhn said she worked as an executive assistant to the couple for almost two years after moving in to their massive Southampton, New York, mansion, to be at the duo's beck and call, singling out Beth for allegedly being the most high-maintenance.
Former Employee's Complaint Alleges 'Untenable Animal Rescue and Fostering Operations'
Howard and Beth Stern are passionate about animal fostering and adoption.
Kuhn claimed in her lawsuit that she was fired as the result of 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."
The shock jock's wife is a noted animal activist who runs Beth's Furry Friends feline adoption center.
She's been known to foster numerous cats at a time at the couple's Long Island home, once revealing that the couple took in more than 900 cats over a five year period.
Kuhn didn't go into any other details about the "untenable" animal rescue situation.
'Strict NDA' Drama
The former employee wants the judge to toss out and NDA she claims was signed under questionable circumstances
Kuhn claims Beth put her in charge of overseeing the mansion’s staff, from handling scheduling and payroll to running day-to-day household operations, including Beth’s at-home cat rescue and fostering efforts.
The former employee also wants a judge to toss a non-disclosure agreement she's disputing, as Kuhn wants to be able to disclose details about the nature of her employment and respond to any accusations the Sterns might level against her.
Kuhn said Howard's production company, One Twelve, included the strict NDA in the separation agreement as she was leaving, although she claims it was backdated to appear it had been signed upon coming aboard with the couple.
The disgruntled ex-employee also claims the NDA was drafted with a typewritten version of her signature already in place — before she had even interviewed for the job — using the same font style and size as the names listed in the agreement’s recitals.
Howard and Beth Stern Have a Massive Mansion
The Sterns tied the knot in 2008.
The Sterns started dating in 2000 and married eight years later. Howard bought their oceanfront mansion in 2005, and did a significant rebuild in 2012. While he paid $20 million at the time of the purchase, it's estimated to be worth around $60 million today.
Howard and Beth have lived in the stunning setting full time ever since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, when the SiriusXM hotshot began broadcasting his show from his home studio.
The massive 4.35-acre property includes a 16,000-square-foot mansion with eight bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, a bowling alley, and a wine cellar...as well as a large number of cats.
Rescue Cats Are the 'Children' Howard and Beth Stern Never Had
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Howard and Beth Stern have taken in nearly 1,000 rescue cats over the years while finding them forever homes.
In a 2019 video, Beth revealed that she had about 12 foster cats currently in their home, including four that she and her husband already had as pets.
She said that the couple took in more than 900 cats in the years since 2014 and had since found them forever families.
"It's been quite a rewarding experience I don't think were going to stop anytime soon," Beth gushed about the couple's work with rescue kitties.
Beth raved that the felines were the kids the the couple never had, calling Howard her "partner" in rescue work.
"He grooms them every morning. He talks to them. They're our family members. We don't have children together. So they are literally our children," she revealed.
