Ken Jeong Pays Tribute to Budd Friedman Through a Heartfelt Post
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The Masked Singer panelist Ken Jeong expressed his deepest condolences to the family of Budd Friedman in a heartfelt post. The comedian is currently grieving the death of the actor that helped jump start his career.
Friedman was a pioneer who built a comedy empire and founded The Improv Comedy Club. The late comedian inspired countless today, including The Masked Singer‘s Ken Jeong.
On November 12, Friedman passed away at the age of 90 in a Los Angeles hospital. No specific cause of death has been specified at this time. Soon after his passing, it was revealed that he was suffering from heart and kidney issues.
Ken Jeong Pays Tribute to Budd Friedman
On November 13, Jeong wrote a tribute post for the late comedian. Within the post, The Masked Singer panelist thanked Friedman for the support he gave, while he was starting out. For those who may not know, Friedman became a mentor to Jeong and helped put him in the stand-up comedy spotlight. Since Friedman was very supportive of Jeong, it’s no surprise that he says he owes his career to the late comedian.
“Budd Friedman was a judge of a stand up comedy competition I won while i was in my medical residency in New Orleans,” Jeong wrote. “He encouraged me to move to LA, and when I finally did, he got me spots not only at the Hollywood Improv, but Vegas, Reno, and other Improv clubs. He even helped me get into the Just For Laughs Festival, way before I was ready.”
At the end of the post, Jeong thanked the late comedian for his career, and shared his deepest condolences to Friedman’s family. Fans have begun to place kind words into the comments section of the post.
Budd Friedman isn’t the only comedian that has unfortunately passed away this year. Beloved Full House cast member Bob Saget passed away at the age of 65 this past January.
The actor/comedian was found dead after hitting his head in his hotel room at the Ritz-Carlton in Orlando. At the time of his passing, Jeong spoke on behalf of the comedy community as a while, stating that Saget was a “really good guy like everyone says and if you did even a small favor for him he would be so grateful and appreciative even it wasn’t much.”
