Who is Sarah Silverman’s father Donald Silverman? All about the family as comedian reveals secret about infant brother

Sarah Silverman, whose new special, "PostMortem," releases today, 20 May, on Netflix, sat down for an interview with Rolling Stone, where she opened up about her family, particularly her father, Donald Silverman, who owned a series of retail stores.

Donald Silverman was the father of comedian Sarah Silverman. He was born in 1937 and died in May 2023, aged 85, two weeks after losing his wife, Janice, who had been his wife for more than 40 years.

Apart from talking about her parents' deaths and how they affected her, Silverman also revealed a previously unknown family secret about her older brother's death when he was just an infant.

In the interview, she said that she had believed for years that her older brother, Jeffrey Silverman, died after getting trapped and suffocated in his crib, something she later learned was not the truth. She said:

"The story was that something happened with the crib, and Jeffrey’s little body slid and he got suffocated. But if you look back, there was never a lawsuit with the crib company or anything.”

More about Sarah Silverman's family, as the comedian reveals details about her father, Donald Silverman, and her infant brother

Sarah Silverman's father, Donald Silverman, was the one who had revealed the truth about her older brother's death when he was just three months old.

According to Rolling Stone, in 2022, Donald Silverman had gone to watch the musical production of Sarah Silverman's memoir, "Bedwetter," and during his visit to the backstage area, he revealed the truth.

She said that her father confessed that it was actually his own father (Sarah Silverman's paternal grandfather) who had shaken the baby so hard in anger over his crying that it resulted in the infant's death.

At that time, both of Sarah Silverman's parents were away on vacation and had entrusted the baby to his paternal grandparents' care. She said:

“I always felt that he was crying or something, and my dad shook him. He shook him in a rage and killed him."

She further added that her paternal grandmother also supported her grandfather, helping him get away with the lie. She said:

"As soon as he said it, it was like, ‘Of course, that’s what happened. [Donald’s] mother always stood by her husband. She watched him beat the s*it out of her son. I couldn’t ask my mom, because she was dead.”

Sarah Silverman, who was a cast member on SNL from 1993 to 1994, has always been close to her father, Donald Silverman.

In her interview with Rolling Stone, the "Wreck-It Ralph" voice actor shared that her father had a difficult childhood while growing up.

His own father, Max Silverman, used to beat him daily while sparing his younger brother.

"He had a younger brother who wasn’t touched. His father made the kids call him Mr Silverman."

According to The Palm Beach Post, Donald Silverman attended the University of Connecticut, where he graduated with a degree in social work, but later went on to open a chain of retail stores in New Hampshire.

He was previously married to Beth Ann until their divorce when Sarah Silverman was six years old.

The couple had four children, three of whom work in Hollywood, while the fourth is a Rabbi based in Israel.

Donald later married Janice Silverman in the late 1970s, and they were together for forty years until their deaths, just nine days apart.

Before his death, Donald Silverman divided his time between New Hampshire and Boca Raton, where he lived.

In May 2023, Sarah Silverman's stepmother, Janice Silverman, passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of eighty. The comedian posted a heartfelt tribute in her memory. She wrote:

"We laid my beautiful step-mum Janice to rest today. None of us would be us without her. And now we get to remember her every day."

Just nine days later, Donald Silverman died from kidney failure. Sarah Silverman posted the news of his passing on Instagram, saying:

"My best pal, Schleppy – my dad, died last night,” the stand-up comedians. All the sisters, and grandkids surrounded him with love and singing and very dark f*cked up jokes this final week. But ultimately, he wanted to be with his love, Janice, who we lost last Monday. He always said he was the richest man in the world because of his family, and he was.”

Sarah Silverman's mother, Beth Ann, was a photographer who, after her divorce from Donald Silverman, married John O'Hara.

According to Daily Mail, Beth Ann O'Hara was active in the New Hampshire theatre community and founded the New Thalian Players. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards, an honor that was presented to her by her daughter.

She passed away in August 2015 at the age of seventy-three. Sarah Silverman posted a beautiful tribute to her mother on X (formerly Twitter).

In her standup special, "PostMortem," Sarah Silverman shares that talking about her father, Donald Silverman's death, and other rather traumatic circumstances surrounding her family is her way of looking back at the more difficult moments in her life, through the lens of humor.