Mary Jo Buttafuoco is an American actress, author, and gunshot survivor. Mary Jo Buttafuoco rose to fame after being shot in the face and neck in 1992. Amy Fisher, then 17, carried out the shooting. She had an extramarital affair with Mary’s husband, Joey Buttafuoco.

How old is Mary Jo Buttafuoco?

Mary Jo Buttafuoco’s birth name is Mary Jo Connery, and she was born on May 15, 1955. She is originally from New York, USA. Mary is currently 65 years old and a Taurus. There is no information about her childhood, family, parents, siblings, or anything else. However, there is information that Mary attended Massapequa High School. Overall, she has not spoken much about her early life, and she is best known for her life and events following the 1992 shooting incident.

Who is Mary Jo Buttafuoco Husband?

Mary is currently content with her single status. She married Stu Tendle on February 25, 2012. They married at Las Vegas’s Always and Forever Chapel. Stu worked as a shop manager in Las Vegas, Nevada. The newfound love gave her the courage to trust and believe again, and with it, she found hope in a committed relationship with Stu after her life-changing incident. Stu died of cancer in 2018.

Mary had previously been married to Joey Buttafuoco. They married on September 4, 1977, and had a 26-year marriage. After going through heartbreaks and the shooting incident, the couple finalized their divorce on 3 February 2003. The couple had two children together at the time. Jessica Buttafuoco is their daughter, and Paul Buttafuoco is their son. Jessica, her daughter, was only 9 years old at the time of Mary’s shooting.

Career line of Mary Jo Buttafuoco

• Mary Jo Buttafuoco is an American actress, author, and motivational speaker. Her husband’s teenage mistress shot her in the face, and the incident turned her world upside down. Mary is a former actress who has appeared in the film ‘Beat Boys, Beat Girls’ as well as on television shows such as ‘Howard Stern on Demand’ and ‘Mary Jo Buttafuoco Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.’
• Years after being shot in the face, Mary documented her survival journey in her book, ‘Getting It Through My Thick Skull.’ The incident made headlines in every other tabloid and newspaper, piqued the interest of many filmmakers.
• Her life story is told in a documentary produced by the house Tent City Entertainment. Mary has had numerous surgeries, and her survival instinct has become an inspiration to many. She has also begun to give motivational speeches in which she shares what she has learned from her agonizing journey.
• Mary casually answered her door on May 19, 1992, not realizing that this would change her life forever. Amy Fisher, Mary’s then-17-year-old husband’s mistress, shot her in the face as she stood on her porch. Fisher didn’t threaten her or show her the gun until she shot Mary.
• Mary initially thought she was there to discuss Joey, her husband, and Amy Fisher’s alleged affair. After a brief conversation, Fisher fired a bullet through Mary’s face and neck, leaving her in a pool of blood, just as she turned back to enter her house.
• Amy fired the 25-caliber handgun. She shot Mary in the face at point-blank range. They rushed her to the hospital, where she fell into a coma for three days. Her face was paralyzed on one side as a result of the incident. The shock-shooting catapulted the Buttafuoco family into the media spotlight.
• Mary was with Joey at the beginning of the investigation. Back then, he denied all allegations of having a relationship with Fisher. Later, he was found guilty on several counts, and he admitted to having a sexual relationship with Amy Fisher.
• Amy Fisher was still a minor when Joey began dating her. Joey was also convicted of persuading Amy Fisher to commit the crime and was charged with raping a minor and planning a murder.
• Joey was sentenced to four months in prison after being charged with numerous counts of statutory rape, sodomy, and endangering the welfare of a child. Amy Fisher was convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to seven years in prison.
• She was kept in the juvenile room because she was a minor until she reached the age of 18. Fisher was granted parole in 1999 after serving seven more years in prison on the condition that she never contact the Buttafuoco family again.
• The story was picked up by Media Overnight and quickly became international news. Throughout 1992, stories about Amy Fisher’s affair with Mary’s husband Joey filled the pages of tabloids. The heinous crime became the most talked-about crime that year and has yet to fade completely.
• In fact, the crime became so well-known that Fisher’s story was adapted into three TV movies. Amy Fisher was also dubbed ‘The Long Island Lolita’ by the media.
• In 2007, all three members of the fatal love triangle, Mary, Joey, and Amy, sat down for an interview. Mary has even stated that she has forgiven Fisher. Sadly, Amy Fisher appeared unaffected and made filthy statements about having no sympathy for Mary.
• She then appeared on ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ in 2004. It was to talk about the aftermath of the incident and her facial reconstruction surgery.
• Mary has appeared on several television shows, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Howard Stern Show, The Megan Kelly Show, The Dr. Oz Show, ABC 20/20, Inside Edition, The View, Access Hollywood, and others. Mary Jo has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Dr.
• Oz Show, ABC 20/20, The Megan Kelly Show, The View, Inside Edition, Access Hollywood, The Howard Stern Show, and countless other programs to raise awareness about this and other topics such as mental health and addiction/recovery.
• Mary suffered hearing loss in one of her ears as a result of the unfortunate incident, and one side of her face was paralyzed. This made it impossible for her to smile for the next 25 years.
• Even though she miraculously survived the close-range shot, she struggled with her deformed face for years. Her initial surgeries were far too dangerous and risky. She was completely dependent on painkillers for years after the initial surgeries, which made her an addict.
• She appeared in recovery when she was transferred to the Betty Ford Center, where she had the majority of her surgeries.
• Mary recovered partially and was free of pain and blood clots after many years. Nonetheless, she was disfigured and paralyzed. Dr. Babak Azizzadeh, a plastic surgeon, saw her on the Oprah show and offered to treat her facial paralysis, but the ray of hope came with many challenges.
• The main challenge for Dr. Azizzadeh was contouring while maintaining her face’s symmetry. He began by giving her a facelift, an eyelift, and repairing some of the nerves that had kept her from smiling.
• Then he concentrated on the surgery that would widen the ear canal, improving her hearing and preventing further infections. The procedure was documented in the journal ‘Inside Edition.’ Mary also underwent physical therapy to strengthen her facial muscles.
• Mary is also an author, having written the book ‘Getting It Through My Thick Skull: Why I Stayed, What I Learned, and What Millions of People Involved with Sociopaths Need to Know.’ She penned every detail of her life experiences in the book.
• She even addressed the frequently asked question of why she stayed with Joey for so long after the incident.
• Mary co-wrote the book with Amber Frey, a writer who was also a victim of a similar crime. Apart from the incident, Mary has revealed a lot about her ex-husband, Joey, in the book.
• Furthermore, the book uses Mary Jo’s tragic and triumphant life lessons to help others understand sociopathic behavior and the emotional traps it springs on willing partners. It also provides hope and assistance to the millions of people who are trapped in a cycle of toxic relationships.
• After a decade of survival, Mary realized that people are still unaware of and unconcerned about facial paralysis and those who suffer from it.
• She used her story to educate many people. Mary also took part in a walkathon to raise awareness about facial paralysis. She also appeared in the Reelz Channel series ‘Scandal Made Me Famous.’
• The show used reenactments, exclusive interviews, and never-before-seen photos and videos to tell the story of the infamous crime. Steve Helling, senior writer at People magazine, hosted the show.
• Tent City and Fremantle Media North America have announced that they will create a documentary and release it on the 25th anniversary of the infamous incident.
• The agreement was negotiated by Katie Zwick and Christina Kuo. Sharlene Martin co-executive produced the film with Tent City Entertainment’s Ansaldi and Lisa Bourgoujian. Sharlene works for Martin Literary and Media Management and also represents Mary.