In the same year during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show", Benza punched Stern staffer "Stuttering John" Melendez in the face, alleging Melendez was screening out positive listener calls about him. Melendez then made a prank call making fun of the failure of "After Hours", provoking Benza further. The incident resulted in a lifetime ban for Benza from Stern's show direct from WXRK general manager Tom Chiusano (it can be assumed that it continued into the Sirius XM era of the show, as he has not appeared again).