Howard Stern and Wife Accused by Former Assistant of ‘Bizarre’ Household Rules and Hostile Work Environment

Howard Stern and Wife Beth Being Sued by Former Assistant Over ‘Bizarre’ Household Rules and Hostile Work Conditions

Howard and Beth Stern are being sued by their former executive assistant, Leslie Kuhn, in a wrongful termination suit over her managing their home in the Hamptons. The suit, which was filed in the New York Supreme Court, accuses the couple of creating a “hostile work environment” by giving their household staff “inordinately strict and deeply personal” rules.

Kuhn had to sign one very comprehensive NDA that forbade her from discussing not only the Sterns’ business affairs but also their most intimate details of the personal lives, including their daily activities, personal habits, food preferences, sleeping habits, hobbies, their choice of restaurants, hotels, entertainment preferences, political affiliations, the location and contents of their residences, and travel arrangements.

Kuhn’s duties were quite extensive, from running the 20, 000-square-foot Southampton mansion staff to supervising the household operations. She was also responsible for Beth’s very large at-home cat rescue and foster operation, which she says caused “immense pressures” on the household. Kuhn maintains that her firing was a response to this “untenable” situation and that even the NDA was a forgery with an electronic signature dated years before she had actually signed it. The lawsuit asks for the NDA to be annulled and points to the possibility of power imbalances and psychological stress in high-profile domestic work.

Howard Stern’s ‘Bizarre’ Staff Rules Leaked in Wrongful Termination Case

Ex-executive assistant Leslie Kuhn has fired off a lawsuit against Howard and Beth Stern, knocking on the doors of a hostile workenvironmentat their Hamptons mansion. The suit sheds light on a very strict NDA, which, among other things, reportedly forbade the staff from revealing the couple’s “daily activities and personal habits, ” such as their eating habits, sleep patterns, and even the hobbies.

Alongside the personal habits, Kuhn was allegedly directed not communicating about the Sterns’ selection of consumer items, restaurants, their political stands, and their travel plans. The lawsuit further points out that the agreement also extended to the “location or the contents” of the residences. Kuhn who, besides supervising the 20, 000-square-foot property, also handled Beth’s large cat rescue operation, wants the court to cancel the NDA. She also asserts that the NDA was signed with a falsely dated signature.

Ex-Ass’t Keeps Stern Alleging Mistreatment & Questionable Practices in Lawsuit

Leslie Kuhn, who was the executive assistant to both Howard and Beth Stern, says she was the one running the staff and the household operations at their Southampton home. She was, among other things, the person in charge of Beth’s very large at-home feline rescue and fostering program.

According to the court papers, Kuhn had a salary increase to $265, 000 and an $80, 000 bonus for 2026 agreed upon but was actually let go only two months later, in February 2026. She claims her firing was the consequence of a hostile work environment where “immense pressures” were generated by not only irresponsible animal rescue actions but also business and accounting that were totally out of control.

Kuhn additionally denies that she signed a non-disclosure agreement that Howard’s production company had given her. She says that the company eventually used this agreement against her in court.

Ex-Assistant Fights Unfair NDA in Howard Stern Case

As a part of her wrongful termination claim filed against Howard and Beth Stern, the ex-executive assistant Leslie Kuhn is seeking a court declaration that her non-disclosure agreement (NDA) should not be enforced. According to Kuhn, the contract is unilaterally unreasonable, as it completely prohibits her from discussing her job and the reasons for her termination while, reportedly, it does not stop Howard, 72, and Beth, 53, from saying whatever they want about her.

The court document points out how the parties are not at equal strength, noting, “at the very least, such a contractual relationship would have… placed Kuhn, an at-will employee with far less influence and fewer resources than the Sterns, their affiliated entities and associates, by a long shot, very unreasonably both personally, professionally and publicly.”

Kuhn, who oversaw the Sterns’ 20, 000-square-foot Southampton house and the Beth’s cat rescue business, maintains that the confinement of her NDA was one component of the hostile work environment which eventually caused her dismissal in February. Although she had been promised a salary of $265, 000 and an $80, 000 bonus for 2026 just a few months ago, Kuhn states that she was forced out because of “tremendous pressures” and unethical business practices. Through defraying the NDA, Kuhn aims at not only defending her professional image but also reclaiming the right to talk about her employment experiences with the Sterns.