# Andy Kaufman returns: is this a hoax, or what? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 19, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016 "2004-05-19T19:09:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/1 "2004-05-19T19:09:06Z")
Has anyone else seen this? [http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040519/234/726q1.html](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/040519/234/726q1.html) And, [http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com](http://andykaufmanreturns.blogspot.com) Supposedly, Andy Kaufman faked his own death 20 years ago and is now revealing the truth, and it’s all part of a big plan to cement his status as the greatest performance artist ever, or something. I smell hoax. But on the other hand, it would be so cool if it were true. ---
**Author:** ![slu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/74df32/32.png) [@slu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slu)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/2 "2004-05-19T19:14:11Z")
I really doubt it is true…I guess you never know, but I seriously doubt it. If you pulled a prank of the magnitude why would you publicize it on a blogspot web page? And if your ego is big enough to pull a stunt like this to seal your place in history, wouldn’t you want bigger fanfare for your return? Andy is dead. It is sad, but let’s move on. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/3 "2004-05-19T19:15:22Z")
Christ, if he is alive, I hope he stays hidden—I couldn’t stand him the _first_ time. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/4 "2004-05-19T19:15:46Z")
The Yahoo link seems pretty convincing, but I am still skeptical. I await other cites. It would be cool if it were true, but how did he pull it off? And how could any decent person fool is _mother_ into thinking that he was dead for 20-freaking-years? Unless the family knew all along but is pretending that they didn’t, or something. But yeah. I reserve judgment on this one. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/5 "2004-05-19T19:18:24Z")
Very strange. It does sound like something Kaufman would do. If it is true, I wonder if there are any legal reprecussions, like if his insurance paid out lo these many years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/6 "2004-05-19T19:25:04Z")
When come back bring Belushi. ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/7 "2004-05-19T19:25:19Z")
He’s dead as a doornail. Though I have no doubt his friends and family will stage some elborate hoax to ‘keep his spirit alive’. The guy craved attention good or bad all his life he simply could not have lain this low for this long. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/8 "2004-05-19T19:27:49Z")
Damn! If he turns out to really be alive, can I kill him? I _really_ hated him the first time around. But this has “Fake” written all over it. ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/9 "2004-05-19T19:28:51Z")
Hmm. Lennon’s four years late. What’s keeping him? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/10 "2004-05-19T19:42:35Z")
A few items on the Blogspot site makes me think it’s a hoax. For instance: > [@](#): > > I never knew my real parents. I grew up in and out of foster care. The parents people think are my real parents are just hired actors who played along with my charade. > > My mother, it was rumored, in fact, never had intercourse until several years after my birth. I know, it sounds crazy. All I can tell you is what I heard. You’ll have to decide for yourself what to believe. Or this. > [@](#): > > How did you fake your death certificate? > > That was surprisingly easy. I had a friend who worked at the hospital who helped grease the wheels at Cedars-Sinai to pronounce me dead and sneak me out of the hospital. Once the first wheel was set into motion, everything else just fell into place as people believed what they were told by someone else. Is that even possible? Are faked death certificates even legal? I have a hard time that he could get a “friend” to stage this. It’s not like he was some A-List Hollywood actor or something. Oh, and there’s this gem. > [@](#): > > I am in fact Ann Coulter. > > Coulter is Kaufman. > > Kaufman is Coulter. > > I am not George Bush, as some had suspected. > > Whatever you hear, do not believe the one about me masterminding 9/11 as a giant conspiracy where no one actually died. For the last three years, I have definitely NOT been hanging out with 343 FDNY firefighters in the Caribbean. Do not believe that one. I am Jewish, though. The way the entire site is written makes me think it’s just some really over-zealous fan. Perhaps [Enrique P.](http://www.andykaufmanlives.com/enrique). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/11 "2004-05-19T20:00:42Z")
What is the statue of limitations on insurance fraud. I’m sure someone collected on his death. And If this was him shouldn’t he have shown up at the world premier of the movie based on his life? Now **that** would be how coming back from the dead is done. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/12 "2004-05-19T20:02:52Z")
It’s based on the documented fact that Kaufman **constantly and frequently** told his friends and family that he would love to fake his own death and that he would return exactly 20 years later if he did, and this week saw the 20th anniversary of his death. I’m 99.99% sure this is a hoax, but if not I’m guessing Andy is in some majorly serious trouble with the IRS, Bureau of Vital Statistics, insurance companies and quite a few other agencies. I’m reasonably sure that faking your death (or at least your death certificate) would be a felony, and collecting death benefits (which his daughter probably did) would most certainly be one. ---
**Author:** ![Severian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@Severian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Severian)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/13 "2004-05-19T20:13:22Z")
The Yahoo article is a press release, not an actual news article. It’s not a very reliable source. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/14 "2004-05-19T20:16:52Z")
Ok, so according to the thread about Merv Griffin that’s running right now, Kaufman said he’d reveal the hoax on Merv’s show 20 years after the fact. Merv said that starting 5/20, something amazing would happen on Jeopardy (a Merv Griffin Production) Hmmm… ---
**Author:** ![carimwc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ac8455/32.png) [@carimwc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carimwc)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/15 "2004-05-19T20:18:14Z")
Oh I would say it’s a hoax. He’s dead. The Yahoo press release is from PRWEB. Ever heard of them? Yeah, me neither. There’s a link to their [website](http://www.prweb.com/) . I wouldn’t count on it being a reliable source. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/16 "2004-05-19T20:18:27Z")
I _knew_ “Jim Carrey” wasn’t his real name! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e274bd/32.png) [@Fiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiver)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/17 "2004-05-19T20:22:08Z")
> [@Sampiro](#): > > collecting death benefits (which his daughter probably did) would most certainly be one. He had a daughter? I never heard that! And I think it was left out of _Main In The Moon_. Details? ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/18 "2004-05-19T20:26:10Z")
> [@Fiver](#): > > He had a daughter? I never heard that! And I think it was left out of _Main In The Moon_. Details? When Kaufman was a young adult (late teens, early 20’s), he and a girlfriend of his had a daughter. She put the baby up for adoption. I don’t think Kaufman ever met his daughter. Her name escapes me. In fact, the little girl who played Kaufman’s sister in Man on the Moon (IMDB gives her name as ‘Brittany Colonna’) is his granddaughter. ---
**Author:** ![Agrippina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8797f3/32.png) [@Agrippina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agrippina)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/19 "2004-05-19T20:30:13Z")
Did some [Googling](http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:rZZcGIqw-lwJ:www.fastboards.com/boards/board.cgi%3Fuser%3Dclairechanel%26action%3Dread%26id%3D1082829355+%22andy+kaufman%22+%22daughter%22&hl=en). He was twenty when his daughter was born and her name is Maria Bellu. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016/20 "2004-05-19T21:20:14Z")
I suppose that this is as good a place as any to plug probably the greatest horror movie you’ve never seen: \*\*[God Told Me To\*\*](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075930/), which is (relatively) new to DVD and in which Kaufman briefly appears (so if you’re not a fan, you don’t have to put up with him for long) as a psycho cop. Directed by cult favorite Larry Cohen (_It’s Alive, Q_), it combines snipers, religious whackos, alien abductions, tortured Catholic introspection, NYPD procedurals, and a climax that manages to be pseudo-messianic, quasi-incestuous, semi-hermaphroditic, and apocalyptic all at once–plus Sylvia Sidney! A [review](http://www.dvddrive-in.com/reviews/e-h/godtoldmetokill7675.htm) or [two](http://www.sover.net/~ozus/godtoldmeto.htm). You’ll love it or hate it, but you gotta see it! A genuinely one-of-a-kind experience, it’s weird, wonderful, and a lot more weird. 😃 :eek: 😕🆒 As for the “news”–I guess this’ll force me to say something I never thought I would: I’m taping _Jeopardy_ (now I got to figure out when the hell it’s on). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/andy-kaufman-returns-is-this-a-hoax-or-what/246016.md?page=2)