Eric the Midget
Encyclopedia
Eric Lynch better known as Eric the Midget or Eric the Bedhumper, is known solely as a fan of The Howard Stern Show. He is considered a part of the Wack Pack
, though membership is unofficial. Lynch is tall, weighs 85 lb (38.6 kg), and uses a motorized wheelchair
, in addition to various other afflictions. Despite his poor health he is a huge asswipe.
In 2007, Lynch was listed at #3 on Something Awful's
Big Ten List of Little People, finishing ahead of such notable little persons as Verne Troyer
and Jason Acuña
. The site described him as "uncommonly angry and possibly even evil."
. Because of his short legs and a club foot
he uses a wheelchair to get around. Other afflictions include stork bite which gives him a "blotchy" complexion and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
resulting in gnarled fingers.
. He has stated that his parents were Republican
s who despise Howard Stern. Lynch attended high school at John Swett High School
, graduating in 1994. At the age of 31, Lynch moved to his own apartment in Sacramento, California
with a roommate named Jon Johnson. Eric initially called in on September 19, 2002 to discuss American Idol. Lynch had called to respond to Stern's statements that contestant Kelly Clarkson
was not overly attractive. Stern initially talked to Lynch with mild enthusiasm, but after an extended discussion regarding Lynch's unique voice and speaking style, Lynch revealed that he was tall, which piqued Stern's interest.
. He is likely the most polarizing Wack Packer, as Stern fans tend to either hate or love his arrogant attitude and often mundane, uneventful calls. Many fans also "love to hate" him. Artie Lange recounted that when he introduced Lynch at a San Francisco stand-up performance, the 3,000 audience members in attendance mercilessly booed him for ten minutes straight, having no sympathy for his numerous disabilities unlike other Wack Packers (even some he described as "criminals") who were always at least initially greeted with applause. Lynch is known to stay on hold for long periods of time, sometimes entire six hour shows, several days in a row; then complain when Stern finally gets along to putting him on the air, not realizing that he is not a priority for the show.
Soundbites of the line "zero point zero" (referring to the number of tickets he had sold for a personal appearance) from the movie, Animal House, alien "ack ack" sound effects from Mars Attacks!
, "redrum
" from The Shining
and the Doctor Who
theme song are played during Eric's calls to make fun of him.
Eric has made one in-studio appearance on November 3, 2008 alongside two prostitutes from the Bunny Ranch. Also present were Dixie Chicks
singer Natalie Maines
, wrestler Kurt Angle
and Diana DeGarmo
(whom he met in exchange for being measured for a RealDoll
). DeGarmo laughed at a few jokes at her own expense and politely declined a dinner request, saying her boyfriend would not like it.
in a brief scene with Daphne Zuniga
where he portrays a wheelchair-using dwarf referred to as "Eric." Lynch is frequently prodded on the Stern show for expressing only limited gratitude for the favor at first. Since this guest role, Lynch has requested to be referred to as "Eric the Actor" due to his offense at the term "midget
;" though he apparently has no qualms about insulting others' physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ethnicity or mental handicap. He is rarely called an actor, but was instead jokingly referred to as "Eric the Astronaut" for a time, as he is as much of an astronaut as he is an actor. In September 2010 Lynch played a small role on the television show Fringe
.
. The show aired on March 8, 2006 and featured Brian Dunkleman
, a former co-host of American Idol as a guest. Dunkleman assumed control from Lynch early in the show and began acting as the show's host. He was later criticized by Howard Stern for doing so, but Dunkleman defended his actions by explaining that the show as hosted by Eric would have been dead air. Some highlights of the show included Richard Christy
calling in and asking, "How big is your midget cock?", and a phony Leslie Moonves
congratulating Lynch on a great show. Afterwards, Lynch expressed that he felt "set up" due to the quantity of negative calls put through to his show and blamed segment producer Will Murray for this and vowed to never call in to the Stern Show again. Stern and his fans were skeptical, however, because Lynch's final message was "Bye for n.. Goodbye."
On April 6, 2006, Howard Stern noted that Lynch had been sending emails to the show discussing American Idol
, but Stern would not read them on the air due to Lynch's self-imposed ban. Lynch was interviewed by the Howard 100 News
during the Stern Show's April 2006 vacation and stated that he would only return to the show if Will Murray is fired.
Lynch called in to the Stern Show on May 10, 2006, to make a plea to be included on the show without being called a "midget", having his voice made fun of, or being associated with the Wack Pack. Lynch no longer demanded that Murray be fired, as Murray had since apologized to him. Stern explained that his membership in The Wack Pack is due to his obsession with American Idol, delusions of being able to date various contestants and, most importantly, his lack of self-awareness as opposed to his disability.
(which he wanted to get made so he can cast Diana DeGarmo
in it and meet her), as well as a children's book about a pug dog helping his master meet the girl of his dreams. The book is currently called "Dougie The Puggie's Holiday Adventure."
On October 24, 2007, Eric the Midget called into the show to read an excerpt from his children's book called "Dougie the Puggie's Holiday Adventure". Earlier in the week, Eric told the show that he would not read from the book because the cast of the show did not deserve to hear it. Over the course of the week, Eric rethought his position and decided not to punish the audience because of the actions of a few. Eric read the passage in his famed breathy croaky voice. In subsequent conversations it was learned that the basic premise of the book is that Dougie the Puggie helps his owner meet and marry American Idol contestant Diana Degarmo. It was pointed out to Eric that this was the first children's book ever written about stalking
.
After reading "Dougie the Puggie's Holiday Adventure", Lynch admitted to the staff that he has been working on a screenplay
for himself, as well as his long time crush, Dianna DeGarmo. Stern offered to produce one of Eric's screenplays, describing Lynch's writing style as "a cross between Edward Albee
and an earthworm," under the condition that he would be starring. He was initially offered by Howard to write an "Ocean's Eleven
-type action movie", Lynch rebuffed this saying he'd rather do a Charlie's Angels
type movie and that he is only doing this so he can get into both the WGA
and SAG
.
On December 6, 2007, Eric called once again (while broadcasting on Stickam
) to comment on the script he sent to the show. Howard and the crew laughed at Eric's script Eric's Angels as it was a poorly written, obvious rip off of Charlie's Angels (the first line of which was actually "Good morning, Angels!"). Stern was disappointed by the script, as he had requested a script where Eric played "James Bond" and said he would not produce it because of plagiarism
.
. As part of the terms of the contract, the winning stripper will live either with, or nearby, Eric.
, Lynch is known for his fandom of the show, particularly winners Kelly Clarkson
, and Carrie Underwood
, as well as runners-up Diana DeGarmo
and Katharine McPhee
. Lynch has repeatedly asked Howard Stern to use his influence to get him dates with Clarkson or Underwood, despite the fact that Stern has only a minimal relationship with the show and its cast. Eric also co-hosts his own webcam
chat show on American Idol through stickam
alongside 2 co-hosts; its content generally consists of extreme technical difficulties, long pauses in between banal descriptions of contestants ("this guy was good," "this guy was bad," etc.) and booting out Stern fans for teasing him (typing in capital letters, asking him to fly with balloons, using phrases like "Ack-Ack," etc.). Stern staffer J. D. Harmeyer dislikes it so much he literally begs Stern not to have to record it.
Staffer Shuli, as well as a frequently played bit by Sal and Richard
featuring a fanciful sexual encounter between Lynch and Tabitha Stevens.
McPhee reportedly hates the Stern show now because Lynch had called her too many times, according to Howard Stern, who told Lynch this news during the January 31, 2007, show. As a result, McPhee refused to record a message for either the Stern show or Lynch when she visited Sirius
headquarters on January 30, 2007, according to Howard 100 News
.
On June 5, 2006, Lynch called the Stern Show and complained that his parents had read about him measuring his penis on Wikipedia
(which he called "Wackipedia") in the article on The Wack Pack. Stern read a paragraph of the article, regarding penis measuring, verbatim on the air. Also, Stern Show producer Gary Dell'Abate
commented on the air that he and the Stern Show staff enjoyed the picture of Lynch in the article. Flustered, Lynch refused to perform any strange tasks to meet Katharine McPhee, including urinating or defecating in a diaper, inserting a ruler or a Sirius satellite receiver into his rectum, submitting to a proctological exam, wearing Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf
's old bunny outfit, being vomited on by Richard Christy, being flushed down a toilet, being sent in the mail or holding seven-hundred and fifty helium balloons to see if he would fly (via cluster ballooning
).
On June 6, 2006, Eric agreed to sit in a lawn chair while he was lifted up by balloons. Stern told Lynch that either he attach the balloons to his body (not a chair) or he would not be able to meet Katharine McPhee. Stern then noted that perhaps Lynch would be hit by lightning, which could result in the merging of Lynch and the balloon, creating a superhero
.
On the next day, Lynch backed out due to new bits being played about him which he found insulting, including a song parody, "Fly Me with Balloons" (to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon
", sung by Sal The Stockbroker with a digital "midget" voice effect) and a prank phone call using recordings of Lynch's voice to a balloon shop. When Stern said one of the bits was great, Lynch responded, "That was not great, you big-nosed retard!"
Lynch continued to call in and was put on the air regularly after that particular feud fizzled out in May 2006. On June 7, 2006, Stern commented that Lynch might be the "King of the Wack Pack".
On June 7, 2006, Howard Stern played a voice mail message on the air indicating that Lynch is "at war" (see His own Sirius show and subsequent feud above) with Stern yet again, due to the constant mockery he had endured on the air recently. Lynch threatened to call Katharine McPhee to warn her not to do the Stern Show. Stern expressed his belief that Lynch will be back and will perform the balloon stunt.
After not calling in for perhaps a handful of days during one of his feuds, Lynch began calling several shows on Howard 100 and Howard 101
. In the week beginning with June 18, 2006, Lynch called The Intern Show, Superfan Roundtable
and The Friday Show in addition to the Stern Show. He had expressed concern over whether the Little People of America
would accept him if he was to perform the "balloon stunt" or a similar stunt. On June 26, 2006 Lynch called the Stern Show, angered by Stern's calm assurance that Lynch would perform the stunt.
On May 14, 2007, when Jimmy Kimmel
was a guest on the Stern Show, Kimmel told Eric he could get him in to the American Idol finale, if Eric would do the balloon stunt on Jimmy Kimmel Live
. Eric agreed to the deal, but some of the Stern Show cast appeared skeptical, and did not trust him. The following Tuesday, it was announced Eric had emailed Jimmy Kimmel Live saying he was unable to follow through with this promise because his handler could not get off work. It was speculated he was afraid to fly with balloons and caused many to want Eric banned from the show, and even from listening to Sirius by canceling his subscription.
's son, Johnny Fratto.
In 2007, a caller named Jerry claimed to have attended high school with Eric and stated that a number of disruptive concessions, such as the construction of ramps and elevators, were made by the school to accommodate Eric; he was likely joking or at least exaggerating these claims as he said that the construction noise was distracting. Eric called Johnny, and left a voice mail at 1:30 AM instructing him to track down the caller, ending his message with "You know what to do. You know what to do."
When Fratto played the message on the Stern show, Eric called in and claimed he just wanted Fratto to find the guy and make him call back and apologize, and that he did not want any harm done to him. The cast laughed hysterically at the messages, with Artie Lange noting that Lynch's moniker "Eric The Midget" is similar to mafia nicknames such as "Sammy The Bull" or "Vinnie The Chin".
Eric later admitted that Johnny Fratto coached him into making the call in an attempt to get airtime. Throughout their relationship they have made many similar phony stories up that Eric would always reluctantly admit to later on and call them "comedy bits". Johnny is always exposed as the originator of each hoax.
Johnny served as Eric's partner in his failed attempt at a modeling agency, and a daily webcam of Eric is hosted on Johnny's site jfsc.tv.
detailing reasons why he will never call into the show again. His main topic of offense was Howard's "mockery" of the Chris Benoit
murder-suicide. Eric took this as highly offensive and vowed never to ever call the Howard Stern Show again. In reaction to this, Howard then banned Eric forever from calling in to either of Howard's Sirius
channels. In a MySpace
blog
entry Eric vowed to continue to stay in the public eye by posting blogs to MySpace and videos on YouTube.com instead of calling in to the show.
On July 2, 2007, Howard 100 news reporter Shuli revealed that Lynch broke his promise to refrain from calling the show and contacted the news department in regards to a photograph of him posted on Shuli's MySpace
account. Lynch was outraged at the fact that the picture was made public (and his picture on Wikipedia) and that Stern Fan Network members were manipulating it using Adobe Photoshop
.
On September 11, 2007, Eric, by way of Johnny Fratto, once again contacted the Stern show. Eric used Fratto's answering machine to leave a message threatening that Stern would be in "hot water" if he did not refrain from interfering with either Eric's personal or business affairs. This rant was brought on by Howard 100 News correspondent Steve Langford, who uncovered phone calls that Eric had been making to the mother of American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo
. To clear things up Johnny Fratto got Eric on the phone via conference calling, and Eric explained that he had been calling Mrs. DeGarmo "no more than twice a day" in hopes of being able to meet her daughter. Eric denied that his call through Fratto counted as calling into the show.
On February 27, 2008, Eric the Midget held a press conference, where he stated he would no longer be the Stern Show's "punching bag
", and he would no longer do the show. Howard played the press conference, and referred to Eric the Midget as a genius who knows how to suck people off. The press conference was filled with expletive language. Eric stated that he felt he could be sincere about staying off the show this time, for good, because he now has the support of Johnny Fratto and Kendra. Eric the Midget said "Goodbye for good" though Howard said Eric would be back. Crazy Alice called in and stated that she felt "Eric the Actor" owed everything to Howard.
Eric however, subsequently made an appearance on the Stern Show on March 13, 2008, when Johnny Fratto called into the show with Eric on the line. Eric hung up several times during the day, but eventually apologized to Howard for being deceitful and for stating (and continuing to assert) that he would never be a part of the show again, even while on the air. His excuse for calling in was that "Johnny had dialed the phone."
On November 8, 2010, Howard Stern claimed that he would no longer have Eric on his show. The final straw was Eric's insistence on being part of the "Staff IQ Contest: Round 2". Howard let Eric be part of the contest, but while the Howard Stern Show was making arrangements for Eric to take the test, several times Eric threatened to pull out as he suspected the Howard Stern Show would falsify the results and/or because the testing arrangements were not to his liking. When the test was finally completed, Eric then complained that he wanted the results immediately. Despite repeated explanation to Eric that giving him the answer ahead of time would ruin the contest, Eric would not relent. Howard decided he had had enough of Eric's constant complaints and demands, claiming, "You're no longer on the show. And I'm not kidding this time. I'm done with you.... Ok? So let's say our goodbyes."
However, on November 19, 2010 Eric would offer to participate in the segment after a list of requests were met, all but one of which were agreed to by the staff. The test results would reveal that Eric's IQ was 90, giving him the second lowest score of that day's test results. Despite his eventual cooperation, Lynch claims that he is done with the show as doctors have warned him that the stress has a negative impact on his heart.
On March 29, 2011 Eric stated that he was "announcing complete retirement from the show" to Howard 100 News Staffer Shuli. Eric stated that after almost 4 months it finally occurred to him that providing interviews to the News department was still participating in the show. However, in closing he did tell Shuli that they could still text each other, thus leading Shuli to predict that we would be hearing from Eric within two weeks.
On November 16, 2011, Eric called into the show again and stated that he is again "part of the show, but not on an every day basis like [he] used to."
of the website Stern Fan Network on numerous occasions.
During a July 16, 2008 Howard 100 News update, Steve Langford announced that he had 3 sources stating that Eric had been visiting Stern Fan Network claiming to be a 7 feet (2.1 m), tattooed Texan named "Romeo Blues" (a pseudonym previously used by Lenny Kravitz
). Eric denied the accusations, angrily demanding that Langford name his sources, which he refused. When it was revealed that all the posts were "wildly supportive" of Eric, one of which included his frequently used phrase "drop dead, you pile of shit;" he conceded that he would e-mail "Romeo Blues" who would post them under his name. The following day, he admitted to using the screen name, while maintaining that Langford's report was incorrect as he had not opened the account. He said that he utilized Stern Fan Network "as fuel to get pissed off," as Howard tended to give him more airtime when he called in angry.
– Stern Show News – Archive. Marksfriggin.com. Retrieved on 2011-10-29.
When the call was over, Stern and the crew then taunted Eric since Eric said there was "no chance in hell" that she would be on the show. Despite being bested, Eric refused to admit that she had been on the show and Howard compared him to a Holocaust denier
.
It was around this time that Howard began playing recordings of Eric's voice spliced together (most likely created by Richard Christy
and/or Sal the Stockbroker) during his calls to the show for humorous effect. Frequently, Stern will rhetorically ask Eric what he would like to be called, since he dislikes the nickname Eric the Midget, and then play an edited-together response ("Eric the Retarded Midget," "Eric the Shitty Penis," "Eric the Loser," "Eric the Asshole," "Eric the Pathetic, Chicken Shit, Lame Ass, Loud Mouth, Defensive, Stupid, Annoying, Screwed Up, Retarded, Gay Jackass;" "Eric the Major Cock" and others) as well as full nonsensical sentences (for example, "I butt-fuck Japanese male gymnasts"). This, combined with Fred Norris
's playing the Doctor Who
theme as well as sound effects from the movies The Shining
and Mars Attacks!
(which resemble Eric's voice), has become one of the more popular bits on The Howard Stern Show.
On February 15, 2008, Steve Langford, of Howard 100 News
, began a series of investigative reports on a figure known only as "Paul," who claims to be a former associate of Johnny Fratto. In the first report, Paul claimed to be a co-conspirator, of sorts, in what he described as a "sham" to dupe Eric into believing that Kendra was in fact Eric's girlfriend. Paul claimed to have been emailed, text-messaged, and called by Kendra who expressed her discomfort with the fake relationship; Paul was encouraged by Fratto to ensure Kendra would continue to play along.
In a conference telephone call on the Howard Stern Show on February 25, 2008 with all of the parties, Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel
, Eric the Midget, Kendra, Johnny Fratto, Steve Langford and others, Eric the Midget stated that the relationship with Kendra was not fake, he even swore on the life of his mother, that the relationship was genuine. Eric the Midget then acknowledged and told Kendra that he has decided he wanted to "play the field", after a stripper made advances to him, which he acknowledged aroused him. Eric told Kendra that he was interested in seeing other women, and that their relationship was "over". Artie Lange then offered to go out with Kendra.
However, on February 26, 2008 Eric called back to say he had not really broken up with Kendra and that the events of the 25th were “faked” to get the show “off her back.” Howard said Eric should change his name to “Eric the Liar,” but Eric insisted he had not been lying – he was “acting.” Eric said he would never go on the show again. Eric made his return to the show about two hours later, and he clarified that the breakup was a fake, but the relationship was real. Shortly after this Eric announced that he and Kendra were in fact no longer together.
, a life-like sex toy that normally sells for around $10,000. The staff and fan-base debated for several minutes on who it should be modeled after and, as soon as Eric's name came up, he let it be known that he was vehemently opposed to such a creation. His extreme reluctance made the staff increasingly interested in using him for the RealDoll, and, one staffer, Richard Christie, even expressed willingness to have sexual relations with the doll. When he threatened legal action, lawyer Dominic Barbra informed that the doll would be "fair satire" and therefore legal. Eric mentioned that Johnny Fratto told him that the ruling of the case "Bergen vs. McCarthy" resulted in his being unable to sue. Unaware he was being made fun of, the cast mentioned that he might also want to look into "Henson vs. Miss Piggy" and laughed at him. Howard proposed that, if they were to profit from the RealDoll in any way (such as renting it out, etc.) they would pay him royalties. Eric remained reluctant after this, so Artie Lange said that if the RealDoll would be made, he would not pursue any legal action from Eric's sale of their photograph together. However, Eric remained opposed to their making the RealDoll.
to Auschwitz." In a call the following week, Eric revealed that his parents had read of his visiting prostitutes on Stern Show archive website MarksFriggin and threatened to cut him off from their support as he is "starting to become an embarrassment to the family," to which Artie Lange sarcastically replied "starting?"
Eric visited The Bunny Ranch on New Year's Eve where he would have sex with legendary prostitute Air Force Amy
. Soon afterwards, photographs of a nude Amy in bed with Eric wearing only a Kelly Clarkson tee-shirt (although his genitals are not visible) would be posted to The Bunny Ranch's website. Lynch complained on The Stern Show that his parents, who had since calmed down about his visiting The Bunny Ranch, were upset that he posed for such photos. He demanded that Stern apologize for publicizing the photos, to which Stern quickly refused, explaining that if he did not want the photos posted to the Internet then he should not have taken them in the first place.
, Kimmel is a personal friend of Stern's and a huge fan of Eric's; saying that, earlier that week he produced the video I'm Fucking Ben Affleck, and he was more excited to meet with Eric than he was with major movie stars Brad Pitt
, Harrison Ford
, and Cameron Diaz
. Additionally, he was the subject of a portrait painted with the genitals of nude artist "Pricasso" in a Funny Or Die
video and he was referenced in a Howard Stern sketch in the Frank TV episode, "Frank 2, Electric Boogaloo." He was also featured on an episode of TMZ
where he was shown driving a miniature limo around Hollywood.
The Wack Pack
The Wack Pack is the name given to a wide assortment of personalities heard throughout the history of The Howard Stern Show. As a parody of the Rat Pack or Brat Pack, they are a considerable part of what the radio show became notable for...
, though membership is unofficial. Lynch is tall, weighs 85 lb (38.6 kg), and uses a motorized wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
, in addition to various other afflictions. Despite his poor health he is a huge asswipe.
In 2007, Lynch was listed at #3 on Something Awful's
Something Awful
Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
Big Ten List of Little People, finishing ahead of such notable little persons as Verne Troyer
Verne Troyer
Verne J. Troyer is an American stand-up comedian, actor, stuntman and performer, best known for playing Mini-Me in the Austin Powers series...
and Jason Acuña
Jason Acuña
Jason Acuña , also known as Wee-Man, is an American TV host and actor. He is one of the stars of Jackass on MTV and the host of NESN's skateboarding show 54321. Acuña has achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, and is tall...
. The site described him as "uncommonly angry and possibly even evil."
Medical afflictions
At 2 feet 3 inches, Eric is considered to have dwarfismDwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
. Because of his short legs and a club foot
Club foot
A club foot, or congenital talipes equinovarus , is a congenital deformity involving one foot or both. The affected foot appears rotated internally at the ankle. TEV is classified into 2 groups: Postural TEV or Structural TEV....
he uses a wheelchair to get around. Other afflictions include stork bite which gives him a "blotchy" complexion and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders, caused by a defect in the synthesis of collagen . The collagen in connective tissue helps tissues to resist deformation...
resulting in gnarled fingers.
Pre-Stern show life
Lynch was born and raised in Rodeo, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He has stated that his parents were Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
s who despise Howard Stern. Lynch attended high school at John Swett High School
John Swett High School
John Swett High School is located in Crockett, California, USA, and serves the communities of Crockett, Port Costa, Rodeo, and the Foxboro area of Hercules. It is named after John Swett, former California Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected in 1863. John Swett High School was established...
, graduating in 1994. At the age of 31, Lynch moved to his own apartment in Sacramento, California
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
with a roommate named Jon Johnson. Eric initially called in on September 19, 2002 to discuss American Idol. Lynch had called to respond to Stern's statements that contestant Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
was not overly attractive. Stern initially talked to Lynch with mild enthusiasm, but after an extended discussion regarding Lynch's unique voice and speaking style, Lynch revealed that he was tall, which piqued Stern's interest.
The Howard Stern Show
Eric's frequent calls, sometimes multiple times during one show, have made him one of the more prominent members of The Wack PackThe Wack Pack
The Wack Pack is the name given to a wide assortment of personalities heard throughout the history of The Howard Stern Show. As a parody of the Rat Pack or Brat Pack, they are a considerable part of what the radio show became notable for...
. He is likely the most polarizing Wack Packer, as Stern fans tend to either hate or love his arrogant attitude and often mundane, uneventful calls. Many fans also "love to hate" him. Artie Lange recounted that when he introduced Lynch at a San Francisco stand-up performance, the 3,000 audience members in attendance mercilessly booed him for ten minutes straight, having no sympathy for his numerous disabilities unlike other Wack Packers (even some he described as "criminals") who were always at least initially greeted with applause. Lynch is known to stay on hold for long periods of time, sometimes entire six hour shows, several days in a row; then complain when Stern finally gets along to putting him on the air, not realizing that he is not a priority for the show.
Soundbites of the line "zero point zero" (referring to the number of tickets he had sold for a personal appearance) from the movie, Animal House, alien "ack ack" sound effects from Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
, "redrum
Redrum
Redrum may refer to:* "Murder" spelled backwards, a plot device in various works such as Stephen King's novel The Shining* Red Rum, a legendary three time Grand National winning race horse....
" from The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
and the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
theme song are played during Eric's calls to make fun of him.
Eric has made one in-studio appearance on November 3, 2008 alongside two prostitutes from the Bunny Ranch. Also present were Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
singer Natalie Maines
Natalie Maines
Natalie Louise Maines Pasdar is an American singer-songwriter who achieved success as the lead vocalist for the female alternative country band, the Dixie Chicks...
, wrestler Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
(whom he met in exchange for being measured for a RealDoll
Realdoll
The RealDoll is a life-size sex doll manufactured by Abyss Creations in San Marcos, California, and sold worldwide. It has a poseable PVC skeleton with steel joints and silicone flesh, which is the state-of-the-art for life-like human body simulation...
). DeGarmo laughed at a few jokes at her own expense and politely declined a dinner request, saying her boyfriend would not like it.
Television actor
Stern helped Lynch land a guest starring role on one of his favorite television shows, American DreamsAmerican Dreams
American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios...
in a brief scene with Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Zuniga
Daphne Eurydice Zuniga is an American actress known for her roles as Jo Reynolds on the Fox primetime soap Melrose Place, as Victoria Davis on The CW teen drama One Tree Hill and as Princess Vespa in Spaceballs.-Early life:...
where he portrays a wheelchair-using dwarf referred to as "Eric." Lynch is frequently prodded on the Stern show for expressing only limited gratitude for the favor at first. Since this guest role, Lynch has requested to be referred to as "Eric the Actor" due to his offense at the term "midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
;" though he apparently has no qualms about insulting others' physical appearance, sexual orientation, gender, religion, ethnicity or mental handicap. He is rarely called an actor, but was instead jokingly referred to as "Eric the Astronaut" for a time, as he is as much of an astronaut as he is an actor. In September 2010 Lynch played a small role on the television show Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
.
Radio host
After many back and forth negotiations, Lynch performed on his own show discussing American Idol on SiriusSirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
. The show aired on March 8, 2006 and featured Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman
Brian Dunkleman is a comedian and actor. He is best known as being co-host with Ryan Seacrest on the first season of American Idol on the Fox Network.-Career:...
, a former co-host of American Idol as a guest. Dunkleman assumed control from Lynch early in the show and began acting as the show's host. He was later criticized by Howard Stern for doing so, but Dunkleman defended his actions by explaining that the show as hosted by Eric would have been dead air. Some highlights of the show included Richard Christy
Richard Christy
Thomas Richard Christy is an American musician and radio personality who currently works on The Howard Stern Show. Christy began to work on the show after winning the "Get John's Job" contest on July 1, 2004. He is known for his prank calls, song parodies, personality, and stunts performed on the...
calling in and asking, "How big is your midget cock?", and a phony Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves
Leslie Moonves is President and Chief Executive Officer of CBS Corporation.Moonves served as co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom, Inc., the predecessor to CBS Corporation, from 2004 until the company split on December 31, 2005...
congratulating Lynch on a great show. Afterwards, Lynch expressed that he felt "set up" due to the quantity of negative calls put through to his show and blamed segment producer Will Murray for this and vowed to never call in to the Stern Show again. Stern and his fans were skeptical, however, because Lynch's final message was "Bye for n.. Goodbye."
On April 6, 2006, Howard Stern noted that Lynch had been sending emails to the show discussing American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, but Stern would not read them on the air due to Lynch's self-imposed ban. Lynch was interviewed by the Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News is a radio news team established by American radio personality Howard Stern. The group was formed in October 2005 following Stern's announced move from regular radio to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006...
during the Stern Show's April 2006 vacation and stated that he would only return to the show if Will Murray is fired.
Lynch called in to the Stern Show on May 10, 2006, to make a plea to be included on the show without being called a "midget", having his voice made fun of, or being associated with the Wack Pack. Lynch no longer demanded that Murray be fired, as Murray had since apologized to him. Stern explained that his membership in The Wack Pack is due to his obsession with American Idol, delusions of being able to date various contestants and, most importantly, his lack of self-awareness as opposed to his disability.
Writer
On September 12, 2007, Howard opened the show with Eric on the line. Eric stated he was working on a screenplayScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
(which he wanted to get made so he can cast Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
in it and meet her), as well as a children's book about a pug dog helping his master meet the girl of his dreams. The book is currently called "Dougie The Puggie's Holiday Adventure."
On October 24, 2007, Eric the Midget called into the show to read an excerpt from his children's book called "Dougie the Puggie's Holiday Adventure". Earlier in the week, Eric told the show that he would not read from the book because the cast of the show did not deserve to hear it. Over the course of the week, Eric rethought his position and decided not to punish the audience because of the actions of a few. Eric read the passage in his famed breathy croaky voice. In subsequent conversations it was learned that the basic premise of the book is that Dougie the Puggie helps his owner meet and marry American Idol contestant Diana Degarmo. It was pointed out to Eric that this was the first children's book ever written about stalking
Stalking
Stalking is a term commonly used to refer to unwanted and obsessive attention by an individual or group to another person. Stalking behaviors are related to harassment and intimidation and may include following the victim in person and/or monitoring them via the internet...
.
After reading "Dougie the Puggie's Holiday Adventure", Lynch admitted to the staff that he has been working on a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
for himself, as well as his long time crush, Dianna DeGarmo. Stern offered to produce one of Eric's screenplays, describing Lynch's writing style as "a cross between Edward Albee
Edward Albee
Edward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
and an earthworm," under the condition that he would be starring. He was initially offered by Howard to write an "Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (2001 film)
Ocean's Eleven is a 2001 American comedy-crime caper and remake of the 1960 Rat Pack caper film of the same name. The 2001 film was directed by Steven Soderbergh and features an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. The film was...
-type action movie", Lynch rebuffed this saying he'd rather do a Charlie's Angels
Charlie's Angels (film)
Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency...
type movie and that he is only doing this so he can get into both the WGA
WGA
WGA is a three-letter abbreviation for:* Writers Guild of America, an American union** Writers Guild of America, East** Writers Guild of America, West* Web Gallery of Art* Western Golf Association...
and SAG
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
.
On December 6, 2007, Eric called once again (while broadcasting on Stickam
Stickam
Stickam is a website devoted to live-streaming video, featuring both professional and user-generated content. The site launched in 2005. Stickam features user-submitted pictures, audio, video, and most prominently, live streaming video chat...
) to comment on the script he sent to the show. Howard and the crew laughed at Eric's script Eric's Angels as it was a poorly written, obvious rip off of Charlie's Angels (the first line of which was actually "Good morning, Angels!"). Stern was disappointed by the script, as he had requested a script where Eric played "James Bond" and said he would not produce it because of plagiarism
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
.
Modeling agent
On March 19, 2008, Eric made his next official return to the show. During his call, Eric promoted a contest he was running to find the "hottest stripper alive." According to Eric, the tour will run indefinitely and the winner will receive a seven-year exclusive contract with EMA, his newly formed modeling agencyModeling agency
A modeling agency is a company that represents fashion models, to work for the fashion industry. These agencies earn their income via commission, usually from the deal they make with the model and or the head agency....
. As part of the terms of the contract, the winning stripper will live either with, or nearby, Eric.
American Idol fandom
A self-styled "expert" on American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
, Lynch is known for his fandom of the show, particularly winners Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Clarkson
Kelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
, and Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
, as well as runners-up Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
and Katharine McPhee
Katharine McPhee
Katharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
. Lynch has repeatedly asked Howard Stern to use his influence to get him dates with Clarkson or Underwood, despite the fact that Stern has only a minimal relationship with the show and its cast. Eric also co-hosts his own webcam
Webcam
A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...
chat show on American Idol through stickam
Stickam
Stickam is a website devoted to live-streaming video, featuring both professional and user-generated content. The site launched in 2005. Stickam features user-submitted pictures, audio, video, and most prominently, live streaming video chat...
alongside 2 co-hosts; its content generally consists of extreme technical difficulties, long pauses in between banal descriptions of contestants ("this guy was good," "this guy was bad," etc.) and booting out Stern fans for teasing him (typing in capital letters, asking him to fly with balloons, using phrases like "Ack-Ack," etc.). Stern staffer J. D. Harmeyer dislikes it so much he literally begs Stern not to have to record it.
Lynch's Inches and Balloon stunt
On May 22, 2006, Lynch called the Stern Show and measured his penis in exchange for American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee's phone number. Lynch claimed to measure at just over five inches, and was given McPhee's phone number off air. Lynch was also insulted by "Derek the Midget" voiced by Howard 100 NewsHoward 100 News
Howard 100 News is a radio news team established by American radio personality Howard Stern. The group was formed in October 2005 following Stern's announced move from regular radio to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006...
Staffer Shuli, as well as a frequently played bit by Sal and Richard
Richard Christy
Thomas Richard Christy is an American musician and radio personality who currently works on The Howard Stern Show. Christy began to work on the show after winning the "Get John's Job" contest on July 1, 2004. He is known for his prank calls, song parodies, personality, and stunts performed on the...
featuring a fanciful sexual encounter between Lynch and Tabitha Stevens.
McPhee reportedly hates the Stern show now because Lynch had called her too many times, according to Howard Stern, who told Lynch this news during the January 31, 2007, show. As a result, McPhee refused to record a message for either the Stern show or Lynch when she visited Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
headquarters on January 30, 2007, according to Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News is a radio news team established by American radio personality Howard Stern. The group was formed in October 2005 following Stern's announced move from regular radio to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006...
.
On June 5, 2006, Lynch called the Stern Show and complained that his parents had read about him measuring his penis on Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
(which he called "Wackipedia") in the article on The Wack Pack. Stern read a paragraph of the article, regarding penis measuring, verbatim on the air. Also, Stern Show producer Gary Dell'Abate
Gary Dell'Abate
Gary Patrick Angelo Dell'Abate , also known as "Baba Booey", is an American radio producer, known for being the executive producer of The Howard Stern Show. His autobiography, They Call Me Baba Booey, was released on November 2, 2010.-Early life and career:Dell'Abate was born in Uniondale, New...
commented on the air that he and the Stern Show staff enjoyed the picture of Lynch in the article. Flustered, Lynch refused to perform any strange tasks to meet Katharine McPhee, including urinating or defecating in a diaper, inserting a ruler or a Sirius satellite receiver into his rectum, submitting to a proctological exam, wearing Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf
Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf
Henry Joseph Nasiff Jr. , better known as Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf, was an American entertainer. He appeared numerous times on The Howard Stern Show as a member of the show's Wack Pack. He began August 16, 1996 when he entered the studio of radio station WXRK in New York City...
's old bunny outfit, being vomited on by Richard Christy, being flushed down a toilet, being sent in the mail or holding seven-hundred and fifty helium balloons to see if he would fly (via cluster ballooning
Cluster ballooning
Cluster ballooning is a form of ballooning where a harness attaches a balloonist to a cluster of helium-inflated rubber balloons.Unlike traditional hot-air balloons, where a single large balloon is equipped with vents enabling altitude control, cluster balloons are multiple, small, readily...
).
On June 6, 2006, Eric agreed to sit in a lawn chair while he was lifted up by balloons. Stern told Lynch that either he attach the balloons to his body (not a chair) or he would not be able to meet Katharine McPhee. Stern then noted that perhaps Lynch would be hit by lightning, which could result in the merging of Lynch and the balloon, creating a superhero
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
.
On the next day, Lynch backed out due to new bits being played about him which he found insulting, including a song parody, "Fly Me with Balloons" (to the tune of "Fly Me to the Moon
Fly Me to the Moon
"Fly Me to the Moon" is a popular standard song written by Bart Howard in 1954. It was originally titled "In Other Words", and was introduced by Felicia Sanders in cabarets...
", sung by Sal The Stockbroker with a digital "midget" voice effect) and a prank phone call using recordings of Lynch's voice to a balloon shop. When Stern said one of the bits was great, Lynch responded, "That was not great, you big-nosed retard!"
Lynch continued to call in and was put on the air regularly after that particular feud fizzled out in May 2006. On June 7, 2006, Stern commented that Lynch might be the "King of the Wack Pack".
On June 7, 2006, Howard Stern played a voice mail message on the air indicating that Lynch is "at war" (see His own Sirius show and subsequent feud above) with Stern yet again, due to the constant mockery he had endured on the air recently. Lynch threatened to call Katharine McPhee to warn her not to do the Stern Show. Stern expressed his belief that Lynch will be back and will perform the balloon stunt.
After not calling in for perhaps a handful of days during one of his feuds, Lynch began calling several shows on Howard 100 and Howard 101
Howard 100 and Howard 101
Howard 100 and Howard 101 are two uncensored channels on Sirius XM, a satellite radio service that broadcasts programming affiliated with Howard Stern and The Howard Stern Show...
. In the week beginning with June 18, 2006, Lynch called The Intern Show, Superfan Roundtable
Superfan Roundtable
Superfan Roundtable is a radio show on Sirius XM Satellite Radio where 'superfans' of The Howard Stern Show discuss various topics about the show. Superfan Roundtable can be heard live on Howard 101 every Thursday at 7:00PM EST...
and The Friday Show in addition to the Stern Show. He had expressed concern over whether the Little People of America
Little People of America
Little People of America is a non-profit organization which provides support, resources and information to individuals with dwarfism and their families...
would accept him if he was to perform the "balloon stunt" or a similar stunt. On June 26, 2006 Lynch called the Stern Show, angered by Stern's calm assurance that Lynch would perform the stunt.
On May 14, 2007, when Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
was a guest on the Stern Show, Kimmel told Eric he could get him in to the American Idol finale, if Eric would do the balloon stunt on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
. Eric agreed to the deal, but some of the Stern Show cast appeared skeptical, and did not trust him. The following Tuesday, it was announced Eric had emailed Jimmy Kimmel Live saying he was unable to follow through with this promise because his handler could not get off work. It was speculated he was afraid to fly with balloons and caused many to want Eric banned from the show, and even from listening to Sirius by canceling his subscription.
Relationship with Johnny Fratto
Eric is good friends with infamous mobster Louis FrattoLouis Fratto
Louis Thomas Fratto , born Luigi Tomaso Giuseppi Fratto, also known as "Lew Farrell" and "Cock-eyed", was a labor racketeer and organized crime figure in Chicago, Illinois, from the 1930s to 1960s. Fratto was allegedly shifted over to become Des Moines, Iowa's, top crime boss in about 1940, until...
's son, Johnny Fratto.
In 2007, a caller named Jerry claimed to have attended high school with Eric and stated that a number of disruptive concessions, such as the construction of ramps and elevators, were made by the school to accommodate Eric; he was likely joking or at least exaggerating these claims as he said that the construction noise was distracting. Eric called Johnny, and left a voice mail at 1:30 AM instructing him to track down the caller, ending his message with "You know what to do. You know what to do."
When Fratto played the message on the Stern show, Eric called in and claimed he just wanted Fratto to find the guy and make him call back and apologize, and that he did not want any harm done to him. The cast laughed hysterically at the messages, with Artie Lange noting that Lynch's moniker "Eric The Midget" is similar to mafia nicknames such as "Sammy The Bull" or "Vinnie The Chin".
Eric later admitted that Johnny Fratto coached him into making the call in an attempt to get airtime. Throughout their relationship they have made many similar phony stories up that Eric would always reluctantly admit to later on and call them "comedy bits". Johnny is always exposed as the originator of each hoax.
Johnny served as Eric's partner in his failed attempt at a modeling agency, and a daily webcam of Eric is hosted on Johnny's site jfsc.tv.
Feuds
Eric is frequently at odds with The Howard Stern Show, its callers and its guests. At numerous times he has left the show only to come back.Leaving the show
On June 26, 2007, Eric wrote a letter to Howard SternHoward Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
detailing reasons why he will never call into the show again. His main topic of offense was Howard's "mockery" of the Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
murder-suicide. Eric took this as highly offensive and vowed never to ever call the Howard Stern Show again. In reaction to this, Howard then banned Eric forever from calling in to either of Howard's Sirius
Sirius
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...
channels. In a MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
entry Eric vowed to continue to stay in the public eye by posting blogs to MySpace and videos on YouTube.com instead of calling in to the show.
On July 2, 2007, Howard 100 news reporter Shuli revealed that Lynch broke his promise to refrain from calling the show and contacted the news department in regards to a photograph of him posted on Shuli's MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
account. Lynch was outraged at the fact that the picture was made public (and his picture on Wikipedia) and that Stern Fan Network members were manipulating it using Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
.
On September 11, 2007, Eric, by way of Johnny Fratto, once again contacted the Stern show. Eric used Fratto's answering machine to leave a message threatening that Stern would be in "hot water" if he did not refrain from interfering with either Eric's personal or business affairs. This rant was brought on by Howard 100 News correspondent Steve Langford, who uncovered phone calls that Eric had been making to the mother of American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
. To clear things up Johnny Fratto got Eric on the phone via conference calling, and Eric explained that he had been calling Mrs. DeGarmo "no more than twice a day" in hopes of being able to meet her daughter. Eric denied that his call through Fratto counted as calling into the show.
On February 27, 2008, Eric the Midget held a press conference, where he stated he would no longer be the Stern Show's "punching bag
Punching bag
A punching bag or punch-bag is a sturdy bag designed to be repeatedly punched. It's used for conditioning, physical exercise, and stress relief...
", and he would no longer do the show. Howard played the press conference, and referred to Eric the Midget as a genius who knows how to suck people off. The press conference was filled with expletive language. Eric stated that he felt he could be sincere about staying off the show this time, for good, because he now has the support of Johnny Fratto and Kendra. Eric the Midget said "Goodbye for good" though Howard said Eric would be back. Crazy Alice called in and stated that she felt "Eric the Actor" owed everything to Howard.
Eric however, subsequently made an appearance on the Stern Show on March 13, 2008, when Johnny Fratto called into the show with Eric on the line. Eric hung up several times during the day, but eventually apologized to Howard for being deceitful and for stating (and continuing to assert) that he would never be a part of the show again, even while on the air. His excuse for calling in was that "Johnny had dialed the phone."
On November 8, 2010, Howard Stern claimed that he would no longer have Eric on his show. The final straw was Eric's insistence on being part of the "Staff IQ Contest: Round 2". Howard let Eric be part of the contest, but while the Howard Stern Show was making arrangements for Eric to take the test, several times Eric threatened to pull out as he suspected the Howard Stern Show would falsify the results and/or because the testing arrangements were not to his liking. When the test was finally completed, Eric then complained that he wanted the results immediately. Despite repeated explanation to Eric that giving him the answer ahead of time would ruin the contest, Eric would not relent. Howard decided he had had enough of Eric's constant complaints and demands, claiming, "You're no longer on the show. And I'm not kidding this time. I'm done with you.... Ok? So let's say our goodbyes."
However, on November 19, 2010 Eric would offer to participate in the segment after a list of requests were met, all but one of which were agreed to by the staff. The test results would reveal that Eric's IQ was 90, giving him the second lowest score of that day's test results. Despite his eventual cooperation, Lynch claims that he is done with the show as doctors have warned him that the stress has a negative impact on his heart.
On March 29, 2011 Eric stated that he was "announcing complete retirement from the show" to Howard 100 News Staffer Shuli. Eric stated that after almost 4 months it finally occurred to him that providing interviews to the News department was still participating in the show. However, in closing he did tell Shuli that they could still text each other, thus leading Shuli to predict that we would be hearing from Eric within two weeks.
On November 16, 2011, Eric called into the show again and stated that he is again "part of the show, but not on an every day basis like [he] used to."
Stern Fan Network
Like the Stern show itself, Eric has been a member of and left, the internet forumInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
of the website Stern Fan Network on numerous occasions.
During a July 16, 2008 Howard 100 News update, Steve Langford announced that he had 3 sources stating that Eric had been visiting Stern Fan Network claiming to be a 7 feet (2.1 m), tattooed Texan named "Romeo Blues" (a pseudonym previously used by Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
). Eric denied the accusations, angrily demanding that Langford name his sources, which he refused. When it was revealed that all the posts were "wildly supportive" of Eric, one of which included his frequently used phrase "drop dead, you pile of shit;" he conceded that he would e-mail "Romeo Blues" who would post them under his name. The following day, he admitted to using the screen name, while maintaining that Langford's report was incorrect as he had not opened the account. He said that he utilized Stern Fan Network "as fuel to get pissed off," as Howard tended to give him more airtime when he called in angry.
Kendra
In January 2008 Eric was claiming that he had met a girl named Kendra online through Johnny Fratto, and despite never meeting in person, she was his girlfriend. Kendra is a softcore web cam model with her own paysite. Howard thought that Kendra was just using Eric to promote her site, and tried to get Kendra to call in, but Eric boasted that she would never call in to the show. After a week of continuing to boast that she would never call in, the show got Kendra on the phone. When asked whether she was really Eric's girlfriend she simply said that she's a girl and she is his friend, Eric is a boy and he's her friend.When the call was over, Stern and the crew then taunted Eric since Eric said there was "no chance in hell" that she would be on the show. Despite being bested, Eric refused to admit that she had been on the show and Howard compared him to a Holocaust denier
Holocaust denial
Holocaust denial is the act of denying the genocide of Jews in World War II, usually referred to as the Holocaust. The key claims of Holocaust denial are: the German Nazi government had no official policy or intention of exterminating Jews, Nazi authorities did not use extermination camps and gas...
.
It was around this time that Howard began playing recordings of Eric's voice spliced together (most likely created by Richard Christy
Richard Christy
Thomas Richard Christy is an American musician and radio personality who currently works on The Howard Stern Show. Christy began to work on the show after winning the "Get John's Job" contest on July 1, 2004. He is known for his prank calls, song parodies, personality, and stunts performed on the...
and/or Sal the Stockbroker) during his calls to the show for humorous effect. Frequently, Stern will rhetorically ask Eric what he would like to be called, since he dislikes the nickname Eric the Midget, and then play an edited-together response ("Eric the Retarded Midget," "Eric the Shitty Penis," "Eric the Loser," "Eric the Asshole," "Eric the Pathetic, Chicken Shit, Lame Ass, Loud Mouth, Defensive, Stupid, Annoying, Screwed Up, Retarded, Gay Jackass;" "Eric the Major Cock" and others) as well as full nonsensical sentences (for example, "I butt-fuck Japanese male gymnasts"). This, combined with Fred Norris
Fred Norris
Eric Fred Norris is an American radio personality known for being the longest-tenured staff member of The Howard Stern Show aside from Stern himself...
's playing the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
theme as well as sound effects from the movies The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
and Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks!
Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies...
(which resemble Eric's voice), has become one of the more popular bits on The Howard Stern Show.
On February 15, 2008, Steve Langford, of Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News
Howard 100 News is a radio news team established by American radio personality Howard Stern. The group was formed in October 2005 following Stern's announced move from regular radio to Sirius Satellite Radio in 2006...
, began a series of investigative reports on a figure known only as "Paul," who claims to be a former associate of Johnny Fratto. In the first report, Paul claimed to be a co-conspirator, of sorts, in what he described as a "sham" to dupe Eric into believing that Kendra was in fact Eric's girlfriend. Paul claimed to have been emailed, text-messaged, and called by Kendra who expressed her discomfort with the fake relationship; Paul was encouraged by Fratto to ensure Kendra would continue to play along.
In a conference telephone call on the Howard Stern Show on February 25, 2008 with all of the parties, Howard Stern, Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
James Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
, Eric the Midget, Kendra, Johnny Fratto, Steve Langford and others, Eric the Midget stated that the relationship with Kendra was not fake, he even swore on the life of his mother, that the relationship was genuine. Eric the Midget then acknowledged and told Kendra that he has decided he wanted to "play the field", after a stripper made advances to him, which he acknowledged aroused him. Eric told Kendra that he was interested in seeing other women, and that their relationship was "over". Artie Lange then offered to go out with Kendra.
However, on February 26, 2008 Eric called back to say he had not really broken up with Kendra and that the events of the 25th were “faked” to get the show “off her back.” Howard said Eric should change his name to “Eric the Liar,” but Eric insisted he had not been lying – he was “acting.” Eric said he would never go on the show again. Eric made his return to the show about two hours later, and he clarified that the breakup was a fake, but the relationship was real. Shortly after this Eric announced that he and Kendra were in fact no longer together.
RealDoll
Howard announced on September 25, 2008 that he had been offered a free, custom-made RealDollRealdoll
The RealDoll is a life-size sex doll manufactured by Abyss Creations in San Marcos, California, and sold worldwide. It has a poseable PVC skeleton with steel joints and silicone flesh, which is the state-of-the-art for life-like human body simulation...
, a life-like sex toy that normally sells for around $10,000. The staff and fan-base debated for several minutes on who it should be modeled after and, as soon as Eric's name came up, he let it be known that he was vehemently opposed to such a creation. His extreme reluctance made the staff increasingly interested in using him for the RealDoll, and, one staffer, Richard Christie, even expressed willingness to have sexual relations with the doll. When he threatened legal action, lawyer Dominic Barbra informed that the doll would be "fair satire" and therefore legal. Eric mentioned that Johnny Fratto told him that the ruling of the case "Bergen vs. McCarthy" resulted in his being unable to sue. Unaware he was being made fun of, the cast mentioned that he might also want to look into "Henson vs. Miss Piggy" and laughed at him. Howard proposed that, if they were to profit from the RealDoll in any way (such as renting it out, etc.) they would pay him royalties. Eric remained reluctant after this, so Artie Lange said that if the RealDoll would be made, he would not pursue any legal action from Eric's sale of their photograph together. However, Eric remained opposed to their making the RealDoll.
The Bunny ranch
Johnny Fratto and Eric called in on October 14 to announce that Eric had lost his virginity to prostitutes at The Bunny Ranch the previous weekend. They had apparently not charged him for their services, one of the women called in, said it was "fun" and that Eric had a large penis for a little person, though a Bunny Ranch employee would later compare their reaction to him as "the death marchDeath march
A death march is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees. Those marching must walk over long distances for an extremely long period of time and are not supplied with food or water...
to Auschwitz." In a call the following week, Eric revealed that his parents had read of his visiting prostitutes on Stern Show archive website MarksFriggin and threatened to cut him off from their support as he is "starting to become an embarrassment to the family," to which Artie Lange sarcastically replied "starting?"
Eric visited The Bunny Ranch on New Year's Eve where he would have sex with legendary prostitute Air Force Amy
Air Force Amy
Air Force Amy is a legal prostitute in Nevada, pornographic actress, and adult model, considered the top earner of all time in Nevada's legalized brothel business, and known as the star of the HBO television documentary series Cathouse: The Series...
. Soon afterwards, photographs of a nude Amy in bed with Eric wearing only a Kelly Clarkson tee-shirt (although his genitals are not visible) would be posted to The Bunny Ranch's website. Lynch complained on The Stern Show that his parents, who had since calmed down about his visiting The Bunny Ranch, were upset that he posed for such photos. He demanded that Stern apologize for publicizing the photos, to which Stern quickly refused, explaining that if he did not want the photos posted to the Internet then he should not have taken them in the first place.
In popular culture
Eric has been on Jimmy Kimmel LiveJimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
, Kimmel is a personal friend of Stern's and a huge fan of Eric's; saying that, earlier that week he produced the video I'm Fucking Ben Affleck, and he was more excited to meet with Eric than he was with major movie stars Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
, Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, and Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
. Additionally, he was the subject of a portrait painted with the genitals of nude artist "Pricasso" in a Funny Or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
video and he was referenced in a Howard Stern sketch in the Frank TV episode, "Frank 2, Electric Boogaloo." He was also featured on an episode of TMZ
TMZ on TV
TMZ on TV, or simply TMZ and TMZTV, is an American syndicated entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007. The program is generally aired on Fox, The CW and MyNetworkTV affiliates, though a majority of the stations that carry the series are Fox affiliates...
where he was shown driving a miniature limo around Hollywood.