Sarah Silverman reveals heartbreaking story about her late brother

CNN

20-05-2025

Sarah Silverman has revealed a tragic family story.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Silverman spoke about her new comedy special, 'PostMortem' and how her family's past has shaped some of her standup work.
'My dad had a heartbreaking childhood,' Silverman told the publication. 'His dad beat the s**t out of him every day, just mercilessly. He had a younger brother who wasn't touched. His father made the kids call him Mr. Silverman.'
According to the comic, her father found connection with her mother, Beth Ann, an artist who was also abused as a child. Their's was not a happy union for multiple reasons, including the fact that Silverman's father was unfaithful to her mother, she said.
'She was more of a free spirit than my dad, who wanted to be a writer but instead took over his father's store. Once they were married and she became a part of him ego-wise, he pounded that out of her and made fun of her,' Silverman said. 'He humiliated her and felt she was lazy because she was in bed a lot. That was before people knew what depression was.'
But there was even more sadness.
Five years before Silverman was born, her brother, Jeffrey, was three months old when he was left in the care of Donald's parents and supposedly died after a portion of his crib collapsed.
'The story was that something happened with the crib, and Jeffrey's little body slid and he got suffocated,' Silverman told Rolling Stone. 'But if you look back, there was never a lawsuit with the crib company or anything.'
Silverman said years later, her father shared what he actually felt happened to Jeffrey.
'My dad says, 'I always felt that he was crying or something, and my dad shook him,'' Silverman recalled. ''He shook him in a rage and killed him.''
'As soon as he said it, it was like, 'Of course, that's what happened,'' Silverman recalled.
'His mother always stood by her husband,' she said her dad's parents. 'She watched him beat the s**t out of her son. I couldn't ask my mom, because she was dead.'
Silverman's father has also since passed away, as well as his parents.
'Sarah Silverman: Post Mortem' is streaming on Netflix.