Jackie Martling

John Coger Martling Jr. was born on February 14, 1948, in Mineola, Long Island, New York. After receiving a mechanical engineering degree from Michigan State University in 1971, Martling explored career paths that included construction in Denver, Colorado. His artistic pursuits began with music, playing guitar and singing in a band, where he started integrating jokes into his performances. Inspired by an open-mic night at Catch a Rising Star in 1976, Martling transitioned into stand-up comedy full-time by 1979, developing a distinctive style that combined songs with dirty jokes. He independently released his first comedy album, “What Did You Expect?” in 1979, followed by “Goin’ Ape!” (1980) and “Normal People Are People You Don’t Know That Well” (1981). A notable early innovation was his “dial-a-joke” telephone line, “Jackie’s Use Your Finger! (516) 922-WINE,” established from his parents’ attic, which is still operational.

Martling’s career saw significant growth when he joined “The Howard Stern Show.” After sending his comedy albums to Howard Stern in early 1983, he was invited as a guest in February 1983, eventually securing a weekly spot. When the show moved to WXRK in 1985 and then to a morning slot in 1986, Martling was hired full-time as the head writer, a role he held until 2001. During this period, he was instrumental in developing radio bits and song parodies, and his contributions were featured on Stern’s television shows, home videos, and albums. The show also introduced the “Jackie puppet,” voiced by Billy West, further cementing Martling’s presence. He continued to release successful comedy albums, including “Sgt. Pecker” (1996), “Joke Man” (1996), and “Hot Dogs + Donuts” (1998).

Following his departure from “The Howard Stern Show” in 2001 due to contract disagreements, Martling continued his diverse career. He appeared in films such as “Private Parts” (1997), “The Aristocrats” (2005), and “Mail Order Bride” (2008), for which he earned a Best Supporting Actor Award at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival for his role in the short film “Jokebitch” (2005). From 2006 to 2014, he hosted “Jackie’s Joke Hunt” on Sirius XM Satellite Radio’s Howard 101 channel. He released his first music album, “Happy Endings,” in 2007. Martling has authored two books, “Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling’s Disgustingly Dirty Joke Book” (1998) and his autobiography, “The Joke Man: Bow to Stern” (2017). He maintains an active presence, performing stand-up comedy and sharing jokes daily on his social media platforms.