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HAVE THINGS CHANGED?
>> I GET A PHONE CALL FROM A
YOUNG SOUNDING WOMAN WHO
PROFESSES TO BE HIS DAUGHTER,
AND SO I ASK HER PROVE TO ME
THAT YOU ARE WHO YOU SAY YOU
ARE, AND SHE TOLD ME A LOT OF
SECRETS THAT ANDY AND I HAD
TOGETHER, LIKE OUR SECRET
HANDSHAKE, THE WAY ANDY MADE FUN
OF ME FOR BEING TOO NICE OF A
GUY.
>> HE ASKED IF SHE WAS IN THE
AUDIENCE THAT NIGHT AND THE
24-YEAR-OLD WOMAN SUPPOSEDLY
TOOK THE STAGE AND TALKED
BRIEFLY ABOUT KAUFMAN, THE MAN
SHE CLAIMS IS HER FATHER.
SHE SAID HE NEVER TOLD THE
FAMILY HE WAS A FAMOUS COMEDIAN
AND SHE HAD TO LOOK HIM UP ON
YOUTUBE TO LEARN MORE.
SO DID MICHAEL KAUFMAN REVEAL
THE GREATEST HOAX OR ARE WE NOW
JUST VICTIMS OF ANOTHER ONE?
JOINING ME NOW IS MICHAEL
KAUFMAN, ANDY'S BROTHER.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
WE APPRECIATE IT.
YOU'VE SAID FROM THE BEGINNING
THAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU
ACTUALLY BELIEVE HE'S ALIVE.
YOU ARE STILL SKEPTICAL BUT IT
RAISES QUESTIONS.
WHAT'S YOUR TAKE ON WHAT
HAPPENED ON MONDAY NIGHT?
>> I'M STILL TRYING TO PROCESS
IT ALL.
THERE WERE ARTICLES THAT CAME
OUT TODAY THAT HAVE FORWARDED
THE ACTION, BUT YOU KNOW,
REGARDLESS, I'M QUESTIONING
THINGS AS MUCH AS YOU AND
EVERYBODY ELSE IS.
>> I'M SURE YOU KNOW THERE'S A
REPORT FROM THE SMOKING GUN
WEBSITE THAT THIS WOMAN IS AN
ACTRESS AND THEY SAY THAT YOU
RECRUITED HER TO PLAY THIS ROLE,
ACCORDING TO A SOURCE OF THEIRS.
CAN YOU RESPOND TO THAT?
IS THAT TRUE?
>> THAT IS NOT TRUE.
>> SO THE SMOKING GUN SOURCE IS
LYING, YOU DID NOT RECRUIT THIS
WOMAN, YOU NEVER SAW HER UNTIL
THAT MOMENT?
>> RIGHT.
>> AND YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHO SHE
IS?
>> RIGHT.
>> IS THERE A CHANCE THAT SHE IS
SCAMMING YOU, SOMEONE HIRED HER
TO DO THIS, THIS IS A HOAX OF
SOME SORT AND YOU'RE NOW PART OF
THE HOAX INADVERTENTLY?
>> NOW THAT IT'S THURSDAY, NOT
MONDAY ANYMORE, I BELIEVE I AM
PART OF THE HOAX.
WHETHER SHE, YOU KNOW, I DON'T
BELIEVE THAT SHE'S ACTING ON HER
OWN, THOUGH.
BUT YOU KNOW, THAT'S ALL I KNOW.
>> DO YOU KNOW HOW TO REACH HER?
MAYBE SHE COULD HAVE A DNA TEST,
AS I BELIEVE SOMEONE IN THE
AUDIENCE SUGGESTED.
>> RIGHT.
I DID NOT KNOW HOW TO REACH HER
BUT NOW THAT DID YOU SAY SMOKING
GUN, I'M SURE THERE'S A WAY OF
REACHING HER NOW.
>> SO JUST TO REITERATE, YOU NOW
DON'T THINK THAT IT'S TRUE?
YOU THINK THAT THIS IS A HOAX
AND YOU WERE A VICTIM OF THE
HOAX?
>> CORRECT.
>> OKAY.
IS THIS AN HOMAGE TO YOUR
BROTHER, BECAUSE HE WAS KNOWN
FOR TRICKS?
I HEARD A STORY THAT YOUR LATE
FATHER TOLD ONE TIME ABOUT HIS
FIRST TRICK, HIDING IN THE BACK
OF A CAR AS YOUR PARENTS WENT
INTO NEW YORK CITY FOR A DATE
AND HALFWAY ACROSS THE BRIDGE,
HE JUMPED OUT AND SAID HELLO,
AND HE LOVED TO DO TRICKS ON
PEOPLE FROM THAT MOMENT ON.
IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS IN
THAT SENTIMENT, IN THAT VEIN, OR
IS THIS CRUEL?
IS THIS MEAN, IF THIS WERE MY
BROTHER WHO HAD DIED AND
SOMEBODY WAS PRETENDING HE WAS
ALIVE, IT WOULD BOTHER ME.
>> YOU KNOW, EVEN ON MONDAY
NIGHT AT THE ANDY KAUFMAN AWARD
SHOW, WE SHOWED MY FATHER WHO
HAD ADDRESSED THE AUDIENCE IN
2009 AND HE WAS TALKING ABOUT
ANDY BEING A HARD CHILD TO
RAISE, AND HE SAID MAYBE THE
WHOLE THING WAS A PUT-ON.
SO EVEN ANDY BEING A BAD CHILD
MAY HAVE BEEN A PUT-ON, MY
FATHER WAS CONJECTURING.
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO YOU DON'T THINK THIS IS TRUE.
YOU THINK THAT THIS WOMAN IS NOT
HIS DAUGHTER.
DOES IT MAKE YOU ANGRY AT ALL,
OR ARE YOU STILL JUST KIND OF
STUNNED?
>> I'M STILL PROCESSING IT.
YOU KNOW, AS ANDY'S BROTHER, YOU
LEARN OVER THE YEARS, YOU KNOW,
TO GO WITH THE FLOW, KIND OF,
AND SO I HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS
NOW.
I NEVER ALLOWED MYSELF TO GET
TOO EXCITED.
I WAS ALWAYS SLIGHTLY SKEPTICAL.
SO I'M NOT COMING DOWN THAT FAR.
AND I THINK YOU HAD SAID THERE'S
SOMETHING NICE ABOUT THIS FOR
ANDY, YOU KNOW, AND AS THE
BROTHER, YOU KNOW, I PUT MY OWN
FEELINGS ASIDE.
AND YOU KNOW --
>> BECAUSE WE'RE NOW TALKING
ABOUT ANDY KAUFMAN YEARS AFTER
HIS DEATH SO YOU'RE WILLING TO
BE HURT EVEN IN THE NAME OF THIS
KIND OF BIZARRE HOMAGE TO YOUR
BROTHER?
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO
SAY?
>> YES.
I CAN'T BE HURT MORE THAN I WAS
IN 1984.
REMEMBER, I WAS THERE IN 1984.
I WAS AT ANDY'S DEATHBED.
WHEN ANDY TOLD ME, HE TOLD ME ON
CHRISTMAS EVE 1983 THAT HE HAD
CANCER AND HE TOLD ME NOT TO
TELL ANYBODY, NOT EVEN THE
FAMILY, ESPECIALLY NOT MY FATHER
BECAUSE MY MOTHER WAS ILL AND HE
THOUGHT MY FATHER HAD ENOUGH ON
HIS HANDS, SO ANDY'S FAMOUS FOR
TELLING ME TO KEEP SECRETS, BUT
I SAW ANDY, I SAW HIM EMACIATED,
I SAW HIM DIE AND I EVEN SAW HIM
IN THE CASKET.
THE CASKET IS THE LEAST OF ALL
OF THEM BECAUSE MY FATHER PASSED
AWAY THIS SUMMER AND IT DIDN'T
LOOK ANYTHING LIKE HIM.
I THINK THE WAX MUSEUM DOES A
BETTER JOB THAN WHATEVER THOSE
PEOPLE ARE CALLED WHO GET PEOPLE
READY FOR A COFFIN.
>> MORTICIANS.
I DON'T WANT TO BE RUDE BECAUSE
OBVIOUSLY YOU JUST LOST YOUR
FATHER AND YOUR BROTHER WAS A
GENIUS AND YOU LOST HIM AS WELL.
BUT I JUST, AS A REPORTER, I
FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO
BELIEVE THAT YOU WEREN'T PART OF
THIS IN SOME WAY BECAUSE ONE OF
THE THINGS THAT WAS SO
CONVINCING ABOUT THIS STORY IS
YOU BEING SO CONVINCED BY IT.
>> I'M CONVINCED BY IT BECAUSE
OF WHAT HAPPENED 14 YEARS AGO
AND NOW I'M STARTING TO EVEN
DOUBT THAT.
>> IN 1999, THE LETTER THAT YOU
RECEIVED WHEN YOU SHOWED UP AT
THAT RESTAURANT.
>> YES.
>> WHAT EXACTLY DID THAT LETTER
SAY?
>> IT SAID THAT -- I ACTUALLY
HAVE A COPY OF IT WITH ME.
YOU WANT ME TO READ IT?
OR PARAPHRASE IT?
>> IF YOU COULD PARAPHRASE IT.
>> I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE PAIN I
MUST HAVE INFLICTED ON, AND HE
MENTIONS FAMILY MEMBERS.
HOPE YOU CAN UNDERSTAND MY
REASON.
NUMBER TWO, HE WRITES NUMBER TWO
FIRST, FOR THE HECK OF IT, AND
NUMBER ONE, TO HAVE A LIFE.
THERE WAS TOO MUCH PRESSURE TO
BE ANDY KAUFMAN.
I JUST WANTED TO BE ANDY.
I THINK THAT'S WHY I GOT SICK.
I HAD TO CHANGE COMPLETELY AND
QUICKLY.
SO YOU KNOW, THE LETTER GOES ON
BUT THAT'S HIS REASON.
AND IN THE LETTER HE TELLS ME
PLEASE DON'T TELL ANYBODY,
ESPECIALLY DAD, NOT A SOUL UNTIL
AFTER HE DIES.
>> WELL, EVEN IF THIS WAS JUST A
NICE WAY TO HONOR YOUR BROTHER,
IT WAS NICE HAVING YOU ON THE
SHOW.
I SUPPOSE BEFORE YOU GO, SIR,
WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO
REMEMBER ABOUT ANDY KAUFMAN SO
MANY YEARS AFTER HE'S GONE AND
WITH THIS RENEWED INTEREST IN
HIM BECAUSE OF THIS YOUNG WOMAN
AND THIS BIZARRE EPISODE?
>> REMEMBER THAT ANDY, HE WAS A
GENIUS, HE WAS ALSO A GOOD GUY,
WHERE MOST PEOPLE THINK HE WAS A
PROBLEM, BUT HE WAS ACTUALLY A
GOOD GUY, A PLEASURE TO WORK
WITH, AND HE'S LEFT BEHIND A
LEGACY OF ALL THE PEOPLE WHO
COMPETE IN THE ANDY KAUFMAN
AWARD.
KRISTEN SHULL AND REGGIE WATTS
ATTRIBUTE THE AWARD AS GIVING
THEM THE IMPETUS TO GO FORWARD.
HARRY TRAJEANIAN WHO JUST WON
DID WHAT ANDY COULDN'T
ACCOMPLISH ONSTAGE.
SO IT'S BEAUTIFUL, THE LEGACY
HE'S LEAVING BEHIND IS BEAUTIFUL
REGARDLESS OF WHAT IS THE TRUTH
WITH ALL THIS.
>> WHETHER OR NOT I'M A VICTIM