The Wack Pack is the name given to an assortment of personalities heard throughout the history of ''
The Howard Stern Show
''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 a ...
Brat Pack
The ''Brat Pack'' is a nickname given to a group of young actors who frequently appeared together in teen-oriented coming-of-age films in the 1980s. First mentioned in a 1985 ''New York'' magazine article, it is now usually defined as the cast ...
, Stern biographer Richard Mintzer has labeled them a key part of the show. Members tend to be unusual in some way: being blatantly racist, mentally disabled, having a comical appearance, voice or ability, or some combination thereof. As of 2016, twenty four living individuals are designated "Wack Packers" (along with a number of deceased). Not every regular guest on or caller to the show is considered a member, nor are any of the show's staff members; Stern has stated that Wack Packers are not defined by having any disability or peculiarity, but by their inability to understand why they are funny.
Through their appearances on the radio show, some Wack Packers have gained notoriety for personal appearances around the country and occasionally, played roles in films and television programs.
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, '' The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terr ...
lists early members of the Wack Pack, including Irene the Leather Weather Lady, who is essentially the first Wack Packer, having met Stern in May 1980 when he was broadcasting from WWWW in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...
. Upon the introduction of Fred the Elephant Boy on the radio show on November 28, 1988, among a collection of others, Stern began calling the group of show personalities the "Wack Pack" on July 6, 1990, as documented in Stern's '' The History of Howard Stern'' radio series. Since moving to
Sirius XM Radio
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sat ...
, Stern has offered some members of the Wack Pack their own shows.
Official list
On February 24, 2015, Stern and crew voted on an "official" list of Wack Pack members.
Living Wack Packers
The following individuals are official Howard Stern Show Wack Pack members:
*Angry Alice (formerly Crazy Alice)
*Asian Pete
*Ass Napkin Ed
*
Beetlejuice
''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...
, named "Greatest Wack Packer of All Time" (Lester Green)
*Bigfoot (Mark Shaw, Jr., not to be confused with actor
Matthew McGrory
Matthew McGrory (May 17, 1973 – August 9, 2005) was an American actor. At , he was recognized as the tallest actor by Guinness World Records. He portrayed physically imposing characters throughout his career, including Tiny Firefly in the horro ...
, who previously had the name "Bigfoot" on the show.)
*Fred the Elephant Boy (Fred Schreiber)
*Gary the Conqueror (Gary Loudermilk, previously known as Gary the Retard)
*High Pitch Erik (Erik Bleaman)
*High Register Sean (named in 2019)
* Jeff the Drunk (Jeff Curro, also known as Jeff the Bore)
*Jeff the Vomit Guy (Jeff Levy)
*John the Stutterer (not to be confused with former staff member and former ''
Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 2010â ...
Lenny Dykstra
Leonard Kyle Dykstra (; born February 10, 1963), is an American former professional baseball center fielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets (1985–1989) and Philadelphia Phillies (1989–1996). Dykstra was a thre ...
*Mark the Bagger (Mark Rothenberger)
*Medicated Pete (Pete McHeffey)
*Melrose Larry Green
*Miss Howard Stern (Andrea Ownbey)
*Monotone Matt
*Siobhan the Transsexual
* Sour Shoes (Michael DelCampo)
*Tan Mom (Patricia Krentcil)
* Underdog Lady (Suzanne Muldowney)
*Wendy the Slow Adult (formerly Wendy the Retard)
Former Wack Packers
*Hanzi (Imran Khan) (permanently banned from show, April 2016)
"Not Wack Pack Material"
The following individuals were at one time considered Wack Pack members. However, since 2015, they were excluded by Stern and his staff from the Wack Pack for reasons including their ability to hold a job and function in society, while still having a funny or unusual personality.
*Angry Black
*Big Black
*Bobo (Steve Bowe). Bobo lost his name temporarily and was known as Steve from Florida. In June 2017, Bobo endured a humiliating act to win his name back on the show.
*Captain Janks (Tom Cipriano)
* Daniel Carver
*Eddie the Produce Guy
*Elegant Elliot Offen (permanently banned from show, 2006)
*Gay Ramón
*Ham Hands Bill
*Hate Man
*Hate Woman
*
The Iron Sheik
Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri ( fa, Øسین خسرو علی وزیری, romanized: Hossein Xosrô 'Ali Vaziri; born March 15, 1942), better known by his ring name the Iron Sheik, is an Iranian retired professional wrestler, amateur wrestler and ...
(Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri)
*The Kielbasa Queen (Denise Miller)
*King of All Blacks (Lawrence Coward)
*Mariann from Brooklyn (Mariann Tepedino), considered the #1 super fan and den mother to the Wack Pack.
*Mick the Nerd (currently considered a candidate)
*Speech Impediment Man
*Vin the Retard
*Wheelchair Steve
*Wood Yi
*
Riley Martin
Riley Lee Martin (May 9, 1946 – December 22, 2015) was an American self-described alien contactee, author, and radio host. Martin was the author of the book ''The Coming of Tan'',
which describes his life and his alleged alien visitation. He ...
*Ted the Janitor (Ted Green)
* Evil David Letterman (Dave Van Dam, also known as Evil Dave)