On August 13, 2007, at 1:22 Eastern Time, Sandra Toffoloni sent out a mass email to friends with the subject Jimmy Kimmel "Kills" the Flava Flav Roast.
Dear Friends, co workers and family,
This is the kind of thing I am dealing with now. If you click the link above you can see the TMZ article. Last night, a show that was taped almost a month ago aired on Comdey Central...a "roast" of rap and reality tv star "Flava Flav". Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about my brother in law killing my nephew. I found out through a friend with lots of connections in NYC that the joke was NOT suppossed to air...that it was to be censored out of sensitivity to the family. It aired.
We, my Mom, Dad and I; feel like we went through the whole thing all over again last night when the phone started ringing to tell us what was said. Jimmy Kimmel is a comedian. It is his job to find humour in tasteless things. But this is above and beyond that.
My initial reaction is to say that he is not even a GOOD comedian, a low rent talk show host and an all around asshole for ignoring the grieving family behind that joke. Comedy Central is irresponsible for airing the joke ultimately. I know there are a lot more things for me to be angry about right now (and I am, believe me) but this just goes back to the very reason why we won't do publicity or interviews. Look what they are doing to us already.
I am grief stricken, figuratively and literaly. I am sickened by all that has occurred. The foundation is the one good thing coming out of this and I am beginning to feel like I may even fail at that too...just like I failed to help my sister. I could not protect my nephew from Chris in life, but I WILL protect in death from everyone else. I hope Comedy Central is ready for the joke I have for them...it starts like this..."Three lawyers walk into a prodcuers office at Viacom..."
If you feel as disgusted by all of this as me please pass on the link and our message to the foundation site, which will be up and running September 3rd, to everyone you can think of. We need lots of help. Today I am taking care of my Father, who just had rotator cuff surgery (that he actually was suppossed to have operated on two days before the murders but put off because "his heart hurt worse than his arm ever could"). So while at home I have the dubious honor of trying to finish my sisters bigraphy for the website and starting Daniels. If anyone can tell me how to write a life story of a seven year old...I am taking on suggestions.
Sorry for all of the blanket e mail lately. Just trying to keep everyone informed as proficiently as possible.
Write and email & whatever else you can think of to comedy Central that it truly was "too soon" for a Benoit joke, especially since you know the family mourning.
Love Sandra
Here is a link to the original story when the word was that Kimmel's joke would be edited off the Comedy Central cablecast:
