KEEPING IT REAL

What It’s Like to Be the Daughter of a Famous Comedian Who’s Now Dead

You might be surprised to learn that it’s not always a laughing matter.

Me and Daddy at his 40th birthday party.

Last week, an actor named Jamie Costa channeled the late Robin Williams in an uncanny impersonation in a now viral video titled, ROBIN Test Footage Scene. In the clip, Costa is reenacting the moment the late Williams learned that beloved comedian and his friend, John Belushi died. As someone who was a huge fan of the late actor and comic, I was almost amazed by Costa’s impersonation. But while amazed, I didn’t think that Robin Williams’ children needed to see it. I didn’t wonder what they thought and as it turns out, I didn’t have to because his daughter Zelda, took to social media to ask people to stop flooding her with the video. In her own words, she thought people sending it to her was “weird.” I can relate to her feelings and not because I’m an empathetic person (even though I am). I can relate because I’ve had to make the same request.

You see, my dad was a comedian. Not just any comedian. My dad was the late Bernie Mac, one of the Original Kings of Comedy. I’ve heard people claim him as the GOAT of comedy and list him as one of the five of their Mt. Rushmore of comedy legends. He became so successful that he was able to transition his standup career into film and television acting. He was #47 on TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Dad’s of All Time due to the popularity of his eponymous sitcom, The Bernie Mac Show, which was one of the Fox network’s most popular primetime shows during its run. He starred in films with the likes of George Clooney, Angela Bassett, and Samuel L. Jackson. At the time of his death, which shocked the world, in 2008, he was at the height of his career. He had three movies yet to be released and his sitcom had just gone into syndication.

I’ll admit recognizing my dad’s fame was difficult for me. When asked by others in undergrad who was my famous father, I would respond by asking, “Have you ever heard of Bernie Mac?” People would lose their cool and excitedly exclaim, “Of course I know him!” My friends would tell me to stop asking people if they knew him because of course, everyone knew him. There was a disconnect for me because he was never Bernie Mac to me, but daddy, whose name was Bernard J. McCullough. What…