Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling

Also known as: Jackie, The Jokeman, The Joke Man, Jack, Jackie The Joke Man

Jack Martling was born on February 14, 1948, in Mineola, New York, and grew up on Long Island, which would remain his home base for his entire career. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Michigan State University in 1971, a background that informed his meticulous, almost mathematical approach to joke construction. Rather than pursue engineering, Jackie threw himself into comedy, spending the 1970s and early 1980s building a reputation as a tireless joke writer and stand-up comic on the Long Island and New York City club circuits. He was obsessive about jokes in a way that set him apart from other comics -- not just writing them, but cataloging, indexing, and selling them. His joke hotline, where callers could dial 1-900-JACKIEEE to hear pre-recorded bits, became a signature enterprise and a running joke on the Stern Show for years. Jackie joined The Howard Stern Show in 1983, initially as a joke writer feeding Howard one-liners during the broadcast. He quickly became a permanent fixture, sitting to Howard's left and scribbling jokes on index cards that he would slide across the table during live segments. His role was unique in radio -- part writer, part performer, part comedic foil. Howard would frequently mock Jackie's self-promotion, his cheap jokes, his drinking, and his marriage to Nancy Sirianni, and Jackie absorbed it all because the exposure was worth it. His cackling, high-pitched laugh -- often triggered by his own jokes -- became one of the show's most recognizable sound signatures. The joke-writing process was central to Jackie's identity on the sh

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Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling highlights

  • Joining the Stern Show (1983): Jackie Martling joins The Howard Stern Show as a joke writer, quickly becoming a permanent on-air fixture. His role as the man sliding index cards of one-liners across the table to Howard establishes a unique writer-performer dynamic that would last nearly two decades.
  • The Joke Hotline Era (Late 1980s-2000s): Jackie launches his 1-900-JACKIEEE joke hotline, which becomes both a legitimate side business and an endless source of on-air mockery. His relentless plugging of the hotline, comedy albums, and stand-up dates turns self-promotion into a comedic art form and a defining element of the Stern Show's chemistry.
  • Peak Stern Show Years (1990s): During the show's imperial phase on K-Rock, Jackie is an integral part of the cast alongside Howard, Robin Quivers, Fred Norris, and Gary Dell'Abate. His joke writing fuels the show's comedy, his personal life becomes content, and his cackling laugh becomes one of radio's most recognizable sounds.
  • The Departure (2001): Jackie's contract expires and salary negotiations break down. His decision to hold out for more money -- reportedly believing the show cannot function without him -- leads to his exit. Howard holds auditions and ultimately replaces him with Artie Lange, reshaping the show's dynamic entirely. The departure becomes one of the most analyzed decisions in radio history.
  • Post-Stern Career (2001-Present): Jackie continues performing stand-up on Long Island and the tri-state area, hosts Jackie's Joke Hunt on Howard 101 (2006-2009), launches a podcast, and makes convention appearances. While he maintains a loyal following, his career trajectory illustrates the difficulty of sustaining visibility outside the Stern Show platform.
  • Dabbleverse Relevance (Ongoing): Jackie's departure established the template for every subsequent Stern Show exit story. His trajectory -- from the biggest platform in radio to Long Island club gigs -- is the original version of the narrative that would later play out with Stuttering John, Artie Lange, and other Stern alumni. He connects to the Dabbleverse through the broader Stern alumni network and shared history with nearly every major figure in the ecosystem.

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