Andy Kaufman’s Alleged ‘Daughter’ Revealed

Is Andy Kaufman still alive? It was a question that didn’t enter our heads until Wednesday when news broke that his alleged daughter had crashed a ceremony at the Gotham Comedy Club. During her Monday night crash the unidentified woman went on stage to tell everyone, including Kaufman’s brother Michael, that he was still alive and well, and that she was his daughter. The speech Kaufman’s “daughter” made was eerily familiar to the kind of acts Kaufman himself would put on during the height of his absurdist routines.

The woman’s speech ignited excitement over Kaufman’s career and whether or not the comedian would emerge. Kaufman had died 29-years ago due to complications from his battle with lung cancer. As it turns out, the news of Andy Kaufman’s death being a hoax was in fact, a hoax in itself. Although the woman’s resemblance and some research gave us some pause, this turned out as we expected. The woman has now been identified as a 23-year-old New York-based actress that goes by the name of Alexandra Tatarsky. She’s not the daughter of Andy Kaufman, in fact her father is a doctor.

CinemaBlend pointed out that the woman in question resembled a featured player from a local theater’s site. One quick google check and Alexandra Tatarsky’s Facebook showed even more of a resemblance to the woman who claimed that her dad Andy Kaufman was alive and well.

Furthermore, leading to the whole thing being a hoax is a close source that The Smoking Gun spoke with. According to someone very close to the situation, it was none other than Kaufman’s brother Michael who hired Tatarsky for the act. The two reportedly met at the Maccarone Gallery in New York, which is where she was working at the time. During this meeting, the Gallery was hosting an Andy Kaufman exhibit titled “On Creating Reality.” Pretty cheeky right?

According to reports, Michael Kaufman hired the actress to play the part for the ultimate prank for a true “Andy-styled” hoax.

Do you think it was a job well done?