Cool Comedy, Hot Cuisine raises $1.3M+ for scleroderma research
Event honors comedian Jeff Ross, John Mayer with Bob Saget Legacy Award
The annual Cool Comedy, Hot Cuisine event, a star-studded fundraiser that benefits the Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF), brought in more than $1.3 million for scleroderma research and educational outreach.
Actor and comedian Jeff Ross, and Grammy Award-winning musician John Mayer were honored with the Bob Saget Legacy Award to recognize their efforts toward carrying on actor and comedian Bob Saget’s mission of raising awareness for SRF and its commitment toward advancing scleroderma research and advocacy.
Since 1987, Cool Comedy, Hot Cuisine has raised more than $44 million for research and patient education programs. Saget, who died in 2022, was a longtime SRF board member and hosted the event for years.
“Bob was incredibly honest in his devotion to things. And every year, when it came time to ask for people to do the Cool Comedy, Hot Cuisine he was devoted to getting as many people as he could,” Mayer said in a press release. “We’re all going to continue to say yes for as long as [scleroderma] exists because that’s our way of continuing to show our love for Bob.”
Honoring a ‘champion’ of scleroderma research
Cool Comedy, Hot Cuisine combines comedy and musical performances with cocktails and dinner to help fund SRF’s mission. This year’s event on Oct. 29 was hosted by Ross, who’s known as the Roastmaster General.
“[This is] my third one hosting without Bob. [It’s] for Bob, but it benefits the people that are here, that are with us, the scleroderma patients,” Ross said.
Audience members enjoyed a dinner from the new Alice B. Palm Springs menu curated by Susan Feniger ahead of a comedy set by Tony and Emmy award-winner Alex Edelman. Whitney Cummings, the creator of the TV series “2 Broke Girls,” Chris Hardwick, host of NBC’s game show “The Wall,” Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, and Mayer also took the stage.
The event was attended by a number of celebrities including Candace Cameron Bure, Lori Loughlin, John Stamos, and Jodie Sweetin, who co-starred with Saget in the long-running sitcom “Full House.” They fondly remembered Saget’s contributions and passion toward scleroderma.
“Bob has been a champion for so many years to raise money for research. Bob’s legacy is going to continue to grow,” Cameron Bure said.
“We owe it to Bob to carry on the legacy,” Stamos said. “He’s helped so many people that he doesn’t even know he helped, which is beautiful.”
The award to Ross and Mayer was presented by Kelly Rizzo, a co-chair of the event.
“Tonight, I get to present the Bob Saget Legacy Award to two of my dearest friends in the whole world, two of Bob’s dearest friends, and two people who were there for Bob: Jeff Ross and John Mayer,” Rizzo said. “[Bob] was a relentless, tireless champion for the cause for over 30 years. Scleroderma is such a horrific disease, but also a very little-known disease. Bob’s whole mission in life, and the mission of the SRF is to put itself out of business.”
