When comedian Chris Distefano was a boy, his father Tony Distefano, who was linked with the mafia, was in and out of prison. What is he going to do now? Check it out!

Chris Distefano is an American physical therapist-turned-comedian. He was born Christopher Anthony Paul Distefano to an Italian father and an Irish mother. He has produced and created comic series and stand-ups for Comedy Central, MTV, and CBS, including Guy Code, The Half Hour, and The Challenge.

Chris is a lovely comedian who enjoys making others laugh, particularly when they are depressed. He bases the majority of his jokes on personal experiences, which makes his performances highly pleasant.

The strange anecdotes from his childhood, particularly those involving his father Anthony “Tony” Distefano, are a prominent feature of his stand-up acts. Tony, who was involved in illicit activities when Chris was a child, has had his share of crazy events, which Chris relates with his audience in a funny manner.

The Distefano family has a long history of mafia ties

Tony, Chris’s father, was an old-school Brooklyn-Bronx Italian. Chris told Comedy Hype in 2014 that he had no clue what his father did for a career, but that he remembers going to family picnics with Tony and seeing guys in black suits.

“Growing up, my father was this larger-than-life, shady man, and I had no idea what he did for a career. I was constantly seeing men dressed in black suits and chains, their hair slick back “Chris stated his opinion.

“Just these folks I’d see at my father’s barbecues,” he said, “and you’d pull up the newspaper and they’d be in the press for mafia connected things.”

Tony’s closest buddies were just as crazy as he was. They’d go in and out of prison as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

Chris also said in one of his stand-up performances that his grandpa was an ardent guy for reasons that are beyond explanation. According to Chris, Grandpa Distefano was a member of the New York mafia ring; nevertheless, he eventually fought for the nation in World War II.

Chris, who is married to Jazzy Distefano, quipped that his grandpa may have replied “No” to the general’s instructions in a gangster-like manner, or that he might have shown up to battlegrounds without a uniform and a baseball bat in place of a rifle. Chris didn’t like the concept of becoming a criminal while fighting for the nation.
Having said that, he believed his grandpa may have impacted his father Tony’s decision to join the mafia.

A Father Who Has the Best Intentions But Makes the Wrong Decisions

Chris recalls his father as someone who always intended to do the right thing but made the wrong decisions.

Chris told The Dad Club about an event in which his father beat up his friend’s father, who also happened to be someone Chris’ mother dated after his father divorced him.

When Tony came to her (Chris’ mother) house to pick up Chris for baseball practice one day, he saw his ex-wife weeping over a boy she dated. Tony went across the street, rang the doorbell of that woman’s home, dragged the guy out, and beat him up after Chris told his father what had occurred.

The man who beat Chris’ mother evidently did not have a long-term connection with her and immediately began dating another lady who lived just across the street from Chris’ mother.

To keep his son in school, Tony Distefano almost beat up a priest

Chris revealed how his father had his school headmaster reverse Chris’s expulsion from school in another event when his father sought to do the right thing in the wrong manner. In January 2019, he mentioned this incident in a Comedy Central episode.

The event occurred on September 11, 2001, just after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Chris was in his Archbishop Molloy High School class at the time when he learned of the horrible occurrence. His mother used to work at the World Trade Center, so he began to weep in class when he realized something had happened to her.

Chris broke a chair in his head when another student made fun of him for sobbing.

Chris’ father was summoned to the school after the occurrence since it was a serious matter. Soon later, Tony arrived, and the father-son combo was called to the principal’s office. Brother Rob, the headteacher, first said that Chris would have to be expelled.

Tony, on the other hand, threatened Brother Rob, threatening to crush his kneecaps if Chris was ejected. Chris was permitted to continue studying as a result of the threat. But he was thrown from the basketball team and had to spend the remainder of the year in jail.
These examples suggest that Tony always meant to do the right thing, but he went about it in the wrong manner.

Tony Distefano is a character in the film Tony Distefano Have you had a change of heart?

Tony Distefano was a loose cannon who hung around with the wrong crowd. He used to be in debt, beat up people, be beaten up, and spend prison time.

But, with time, he was able to put all of this behind him and is now living a normal life. Chris said that his father’s behavior altered as a result of his wife’s influence, and he is now the person his wife molded him into.

However, it does not seem that he has completely transformed. Chris says that anybody who wants to see classic Tony Distefano from the late 1980s should accompany him to a Yankees game and see his anger when the Yankees lose.

Furthermore, at a Your Mom’s House broadcast in October 2020, Chris revealed that his father was about 73-74 years old and had a diabetic cardiac disease. Tony stayed in New York for a long period before relocating with his wife [Chris’ stepmother] to Tampa, Florida.