Sarah Silverman has claimed that her grandfather was responsible for the death of her baby brother, after previously believing the infant had died from suffocation
Comedian Sarah Silverman has revealed a harrowing family secret, claiming her grandfather was to blame for the tragic death of her baby brother.
The 54 year old stand-up comedy star, famed for writing “The Bedwetter,” which she adapted into an off-Broadway hit in 2022, grew up believing her three-month-old brother Jeffrey, who died before her birth, had suffocated accidentally.
Sarah now claims that her dad, Donald, told her that his father had violently shaken the baby, resulting in his untimely death.
In a raw interview with Rolling Stone, Sarah said: “The story was that something happened with the crib, and Jeffrey’s little body slid and he suffocated. But if you look back, there was never a lawsuit with the crib company or anything.”
The former SNL star said that before her dad’s death in 2023, he was convinced that Jeffrey fell victim to their ‘violent’ granddad, who lost his temper and fatally shook the infant.
Speaking about her father’s confession, the Wreck-It Ralph star said: “I always felt that he was crying or something, and my dad shook him. He shook him in a rage and killed him.”
Sarah acknowledged that her father’s admission made everything fall into place: “As soon as he said it, it was like: ‘Of course, that’s what happened.”
In her 2010 memoir, Sarah wrote that her parents had stitched together a story about Jeffrey’s tragic death, asserting that it was an accidental suffocation. While her parents were on holiday, Jeffrey was under the care of their grandparents, Max and Rose, with Max attending to the baby through the night due to Rose’s hearing impairment. One morning Max found that Jeffrey had suffocated.
Years later, in 2022, Donald attended a stage adaptation of Sarah’s memoir in Manhattan, watching it five consecutive nights. The production poignantly portrayed a scene where a young Sarah throws a dark-humoured quip regarding her brother’s passing at her grandmother, leaving the audience in shock. Following the fifth show, Sarah recounts a moment backstage where her father Donald confessed that it was Max who bore the guilt for Jeffrey’s death.
She remembered Donald’s words, saying: “[Donald’s] mother always stood by her husband. She watched him beat the s*** out of her son. I couldn’t ask my mom, because she was dead,” referencing her late mother Beth Ann who died in 2015. Donald himself passed away in 2023, following closely behind his second wife Janice of 40 years.
On Instagram, Sarah paid homage to her dad, posting a snapshot with the caption “My best pal, Schleppy – my dad, died last night.”
The comic paid tribute, saying: “All the sisters, and grandkids surrounded him with love and singing and very dark f***ed up jokes this final week. But ultimately, he wanted to be with his love, Janice, who we lost last Monday.
“He always said he was the richest man in the world because of his family, and he was.”
Silverman’s new stand-up special, PostMortem, is now on Netflix.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
