How did Gilbert Gottfried feel about the sudden passing of his close friend Bob Saget?
And how did two comedians known for their raunchy, offensive jokes become so tied to
family-friendly comedy?
This is the story of Gilbert Gottfried's friendship with Bob Saget.
In January 2022, comedian Gilbert Gottfried told ET about the moment he heard that his
dear friend and colleague Bob Saget had died.
The comedian relayed,
"I thought it was a sick joke.
I'm holding the phone and then I'm still waiting for the punch line."
"And then that didn't come and now I feel like — it’s a day later, I’m still waiting."
Saget, the comedian and actor who played one of TV's most beloved sitcom dads was found
dead in an Orlando, Florida, hotel room on January 9, 2022.
According to Page Six, Gottfried was such good friends with Saget that the two spoke
just days before Saget's death, and he saw no signs that his fellow comic would soon
pass away.
He heard nothing out of the ordinary from Saget.
He was the "same guy" he had known for years.
To Gottfried, their last chat was just their typical banter filled with crude jokes and
nothing taken seriously.
Most of the world got to know Bob Saget via his role as the warm-hearted widower Danny
Tanner on the wildly popular sitcom "Full House," or the affable longtime host of "America's
Funniest Home Videos."
So when Saget told his absolutely raunchy version of a classic comedian's joke for the
documentary film "The Aristocrats," some fans were appalled that such filth could flow from
his mouth.
But people like Gottfried, Norm Macdonald, and other comedians who knew Saget personally
were well aware that his jokes often pushed the boundaries of propriety — and even made
some people uncomfortable.
Gottfried told ET,
"No one who knew him was the least bit surprised."
Gottfried went on to say that for the people who knew him,
"'Full House' was something they laugh at because it's like they say, 'No, he's not
this wholesome guy.'
... It was hard to explain, because it was like, very easygoing, and yet outrageous stuff."
According to Page Six, shortly after Saget's death, Gottfried appeared on the Hollywood
Raw podcast and was asked what sort of send-off he thought his friend would've liked.
Gottfried said,
"I think he would want it not too sensitive.
I think he would have wanted stuff kept at a lighter level and maybe a little sick."
Unfortunately, Gottfried's loved ones would soon be contending with his own tragic death.
On April 12, 2022 it was announced via a message from Gottfried's family, posted to his Twitter
account, that Gilbert Gottfried had died at age 67.
The message read, in part,
"We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Gilbert Gottfried after a long
illness.
In addition to being the most iconic voice in comedy, Gilbert was a wonderful husband,
brother, friend and father to his two young children.
Although today is a sad day for all of us, please keep laughing as loud as possible in
Gilbert's honor."
The legendary comedian's death shocked friends, fans, and acquaintances alike.
Actor and Seinfeld star Jason Alexander tweeted his sympathies, saying,
"Gilbert Gottfried made me laugh at times when laughter did not come easily.
What a gift.
I did not know him well but I loved what he shared with me.
My best wishes and sympathy to his family."
Just a few months before his own death, Gottfried tweeted a photo of himself with his late friends
and comedians Bob Saget and Louie Anderson, both of whom died in January 2022.
The photo was posted in reaction to Anderson's death and the accompanying message read,
"This photo is very sad now.
RIP Bob Saget and RIP Louie Anderson.
Both good friends that will be missed."
Saget, Gottfried, and Anderson were all in their 60s when they died, and their relatively
young ages made their deaths come as a shock to all their fans.
It seemed as though there had been a string of comedians dying around the same age, all
within a year of each other.
Another close friend of both Saget and Gottfried, comedian Norm Macdonald, died from cancer
in 2021.
Anderson also died from cancer.
Our hearts go out to the loved ones of all of these comedy legends.