Jerry Lewis being himself

The halls of the New York Hilton resonated with guffaws as the Friars Club paid tribute to legendary comedian Jerry Lewis. Comedic Roastmaster Richard Belzer offered his obscene congratulations as the 80-year-old Lewis suffered at the licentious hands of his peers, including Sandra Bernhard, Gilbert Gottfried, Lisa Lampanelli, Nathan Lane, and Paul Shaffer.

Roasters poked and prodded at Lewis with the best of spirits and the worst of intentions. Comedian/filmmaker Jeffrey Ross joked, “How do you roast a guy who’s older than laughter?” Ross continued: “Jerry is going to star in a new reality show on the History Channel called Last Comic Breathing. He has the life expectancy of an Iraqi police officer.” Lewis took the laughter with a light heart.

The evening culminated with Jerry Lewis being named “abbot” of the Friars Club. The title was bitter sweetly bestowed upon him; the position had not been filled since the death of the former abbot, Alan King.

It was a great evening of friar-filled fun!