The world just got a little less funny as comedian Jackie Mason has died. Mason, the controversial comedian who was known for his politically incorrect humor, made a name for himself through a series of one-man shows on Broadway to great success, though he also had a recurring voice role onThe Simpsons. The New York Times reports that Mason died in a Manhattan hospital on Saturday, per his longtime friend Raoul Felder. He was 93.
Mason was born Yacov Moshe Maza on July 10, 2025, to a long line of rabbis. He later became a rabbi himself and led congregations whereupon he noticed gentiles coming in just to hear his jokes in the sermons. Following his father’s death, Mason resigned from his job as a rabbit to focus on his comedy work. Though his act was considered too controversial for some venues, Mason was able to pick up spots on TV programs likeThe Steve Allen Show,The Tonight Show, andThe Ed Sullivan Show, introducing him to mainstream audiences.
Starting in 1986, Mason did a two-year run on Broadway of his one-man showThe World According to Meto great acclaim. It won a Special Tony Award, an Outer Critics Circle Award, an Ace Award, an Emmy Award, and a Grammy nomination. He later won another Emmy for outstanding writing forJackie Mason on Broadwayalong with an Ace Award. Mason went on to develop many more acclaimed one-man comedy shows in subsequent years and had even taken to posting video blog entries on YouTube.
While he’s best known for his comedy, Mason did make sporadic acting appearances over the years. He provided the voice of Krusty the Clown’s father onThe Simpsons, starting with the episode “Like Father, Like Clown” in 1991. The character is a rabbi who has a strained relationship with Krusty as he doesn’t approve of his son becoming a clown. Mason’s work on the episode won him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance, making him the firstSimpsonsguest star to win an Emmy for his role.
Rabbi Krustofski was later killed off in the 2014 episode “Clown in the Dumps” which was preceded by a marketing campaign promoting the death of one of the show’s characters. Though Rabbi Krustofski died, Mason continued to voice the character in further episodes ofThe Simpsons, finally appearing in the 2019 episode “Woo-Hoo Dunnit?” He overall appeared in ten episodes of the series over the span of about three decades.
His other television acting credits includeThe Fairly OddParents,30 Rock, andChicken Soup. He also had roles in movies likeThe Jerk,Caddyshack II, andStiffs. The comedian also played himself in the courtroom dramedyOne Angry Manin 2010. In 2011, Mason starred in the comedyGoldberg P.I. as a Miami private detective. Meanwhile, Mason also published the autobiographyJackie, Oy!In 1988 which was co-written with Ken Gross.
Mason’s survivors include his wife, Jyll Rosenfeld, and a daughter. We send our condolences to them at this difficult time.Rest in peace, Jackie Mason. This news comes to us fromThe New York Times.
