“Baron of Botox” was depressed, but caricature didn’t help

Apr 7, 2015 08:53 GMT  ·  By
The “Baron of Botox” Dr. Frederic Brandt and Martin Short in character as Dr. Franff
   The “Baron of Botox” Dr. Frederic Brandt and Martin Short in character as Dr. Franff

Celebrity dermatologist Dr. Frederic Brandt, also known as the “Baron of Botox,” was found dead in his house on Sunday. He was 65 years old and, as far as his friends knew, he had no life-threatening health issues.

A publicist later confirmed that he had committed suicide, which led to the rumor that he’d been depressed by a caricature included on Tina Fey’s new Netflix show, “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” named Dr. Franff.

The backlash against the comedienne was instant, with many saying she was responsible for pushing Brandt to his death. This isn’t what happened, a source close to the late dermatologist reveals for People Magazine.

He was depressed, but the mockery didn’t help

Embedded below are two videos of Dr. Franff’s appearance on the show, as played by Martin Short. Even if the show’s creators were to deny that the character was inspired / based on Dr. Brandt, their words would mean very little since the similarities are too many to ignore.

The pal speaking to the celebrity publication says that hearing about Dr. Franff and then seeing him on TV cut Dr. Brandt to the core. However, this wasn’t what pushed him to the dramatic gesture of taking his own life.

He had already been struggling with depression for some time, and would not get help for it. He considered the TV caricature “bullying” and was very hurt by it, but there were several other “factors” that made him come to the conclusion that taking his life was the only solution left.

However, the insider doesn’t mention what these factors might have been.

Tina Fey should be ashamed

According to the pal, the comedienne and everyone working on the show who had a say in the creation of the character Dr. Franff should be ashamed of themselves. Making fun of someone’s looks isn’t “comedy,” it’s just bullying disguised as comedy.

“It definitely hurt him. He was absolutely upset, who would want that? But that was not why he committed suicide. But it didn't help,” the source says. “Does Tina Fey teach her daughter to make fun of people? I don't think so. As a mother, I wonder if that's what she teaches her daughter. If someone looks different from you, do you make fun of them?”

This unnamed friend is in total agreement with the angry people on Twitter saying that Tina owes some sort of apology for creating such a character as Dr. Franff.

Dr. Brandt’s celebrity clients included everyone from Madonna to Stephanie Seymour and Kelly Ripa. He is credited with the invention of the Botox neck lift and of a facelift technique that included the injection of fillers under the cheekbones to help the face regain its shape from younger years.

Dr. Brandt believed that filling in wrinkles didn’t make one look younger, but reshaping their face to the way it was in youth did.