Former assistant Mark Harley has filed a labor board lawsuit against comedian and podcast host Brendan Schaub, alleging unpaid wages, overtime violations, and failure to comply with basic employment regulations. According to sources, the suit comes with extensive documentation that Harley claims contradicts statements made by Schaub.
Harley who worked closely with Schaub during his time at the podcast studio, says the relationship began under false pretenses. According to Harley, Schaub’s lawsuit contains inaccuracies from the very first line, which states that Harley was a trainer at Zoo Culture gym.
Harley disputes this claim entirely. He noted that Bradley Martyn, the gym’s owner could easily confirm he was never employed there.
“You shouldn’t put that in a legal document because you can subpoena Bradley Martyn and be like, ‘Did you ever employ Mark Harley? Are there any clients that Mark ever trained at Zoo Culture?’ Because if not, you’re just lying,” Harley explained.
The lawsuit centers on labor law violations, specifically unpaid overtime, missing meal break compensation, improper pay stubs, and severance pay issues. Harley claims Schaub treated him as a salaried employee while requiring him to be available at all hours.
“He was in contact with me at all hours of the day asking me to do work stuff, you know, whether it’s checking his Instagram,” Harley said.
Beyond standard assistant duties, Harley describes his role as more of a personal fixer, handling sensitive situations for the comedian. He recounts being contacted during emergencies and personal crises, ranging from social media management to explaining away suspicious situations to Schaub’s wife.
Harley also alleges he witnessed firsthand how Schaub handled business relationships. He described a pattern where the comedian would fail to fulfill contractual obligations with sponsors, including a CBD company in which Schaub held an ownership stake.
According to Harley, Schaub missed approximately 180 required social media posts for the CBD company over a year, despite being paid for promotional work.
Similar issues allegedly occurred with Rogue Nicotine, where Harley claims Schaub received hundreds of thousands of dollars but failed to create required content until an audit threatened breach of contract action. “All of a sudden Big Boy Studios became” a Rogue Nicotine ad factory to avoid legal consequences, Harley said.
The former assistant describes a workplace dynamic where Schaub positioned himself as the authority figure while being resistant to feedback from colleagues, including longtime podcast partner Bryan Callen. Harley suggests that Callen, known for his improvisational skills and ability to set up comedic moments, has tried unsuccessfully to coach Schaub on basic comedy principles.
