As it turns out, “daughter’s” surprise announcement was just a hoax

Nov 15, 2013 11:21 GMT  ·  By
Alleged daughter of Andy Kaufman is actually a NYC actress to claim she’s related to the late comedian
   Alleged daughter of Andy Kaufman is actually a NYC actress to claim she’s related to the late comedian

A couple of nights ago, at the 9th Annual Andy Kaufman Awards at the Gotham Comedy Club in NYC, the gala was interrupted by a 24-year-old woman claiming to be the comedian’s daughter, come to testify that he had, in fact, staged his 1984 death by lung cancer.

Video of the shocking statement is included below, embedded at the end of this article but, as you probably guessed, all signs are pointing to that it was a hoax.

You can see the woman walk up on stage where Andy’s brother Michael was speaking, to tell a story about how Kaufman faked his own death to get away from the unwanted media attention and be able to be a “stay at home” dad like he’d always wanted.

Well, not so fast, The Smoking Gun writes: if the woman is Kaufman’s daughter as she claims she is, then Kaufman has changed professions because her real dad is a doctor who specializes in substance abuse treatment. In other words, yes, the whole thing was a set up.

“In news that should shock nobody, the woman who appeared onstage this week claiming Andy Kaufman was alive – and that she was his daughter – is a New York City actress whose actual father is a Manhattan doctor,” the e-zine reports.

The actress’ name is Alexandra Tatarsky and Michael was in cahoots with her. The hoax was meant to honor Kaufman’s legacy and typical brand of humor.

“Tatarsky met Michael Kaufman earlier this year while working at a Manhattan gallery exhibiting a collection of Kaufman ‘ephemera and artifacts’ from the comedian’s personal and professional life. Tatarsky was recruited by Michael Kaufman to play the role of Andy Kaufman’s daughter. The comedian, who died of lung cancer in 1984, had one daughter (who was born in 1969),” The Smoking Gun says.

If Kaufman is alive, he’s probably on that island with Tupac and Elvis Presley.