Because of a sad day in 1992, the Buttafuoco family has been the topic of tabloid headlines, made-for-TV films, and even additional television specials for almost three decades. Mary Jo Buttafuoco was shot in the face on May 19 by Amy Fisher, a 17-year-old girl who was having an affair with Mary Jo’s husband, Joey Buttafuoco. Their story is currently being covered by ABC’s “20/20” in a two-hour special titled “Growing up Buttafuoco.” Of course, Mary Jo’s resilience and ability to recover from the attack are the main points of attention.
Who Is Mary Jo Buttafuoco?
Mary Jo Buttafuoco (née Connery), who was born on May 15, 1955, was shot just once on the porch of her Massapequa, Long Island, New York, home by her husband’s mistress, Amy Fisher. On that particular day, Mary Jo went about her usual business: she awoke, dropped her kids off at school, and was at home cleaning when the doorbell rang. It was Amy, who identified herself as being 19 years old and going by the name “Anne Marie.” When Mary Jo thanked her for dropping by with this information, Amy pulled out the gun and pointed it directly at her head. She had been feeding Mary Jo a lie about Joey having an affair with her (false) 16-year-old little sister.
Mary Jo’s jaw was broken by the bullet, which also severed her carotid artery before impaling itself at the base of her brain, directly above her spinal column. She was fortunately discovered quickly and taken to the hospital. However, despite a seven-hour operation, the physicians were unable to extract the bullet. They feared she might not survive and recuperate, but she did, and she even assisted in locating her shooter. Then, when it was revealed why Amy had shot Mary Jo, her world even further fell apart. She repeatedly questioned her husband about whether he was having sex with Amy, but each time he swore on the lives of their kids that he wasn’t.
So they continued to be together. She remained with him even after the truth was out and Joey was imprisoned for statutory rape. Due to the stress she experienced and the public attention, Mary Jo was sad and even suicidal by 1996. After that, she and her family decided to relocate to Los Angeles, California because their house had become into a sort of tourist destination. When she discovered she also had a heroin addiction while there, the situation worsened. She initially placed all of the blame on Joey and thought she would never be able to leave him, but in the end, in 2003, once she recovered, she filed for divorce.
Mary Jo explained to Oxygen why it took her so long to formally divorce Joey, saying: “I wasn’t strong enough. I had both physical and mental illnesses. I had experienced this. I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He took care of me and the kids and was really kind to us. Our family was quite close-knit. All of our lives, his family and mine have known each other. We were best friends in high school. Twenty years before to this, we were already dating.
Where Is Mary Jo Buttafuoco Today?
Mary Jo continued to reside in California, 3000 miles away from her support network, even after she and Joey had divorced. She was finally prepared to move past the tragedy in every way in 2006 thanks to rehab and therapy. So that she might regain her smile and symmetrical balance, she underwent a facial restoration treatment. After that, she underwent surgery to widen her ear canal in order to enhance her hearing and avoid any infections. Despite this, Mary Jo still has one deaf ear and a partially paralysed face. Furthermore, the bullet is still inside of her as of this writing.
Mary Jo married Stuart Tendler in 2012, a businessman from the New York region who was born in Las Vegas, Nevada, and helped her rediscover love and happiness. However, they also went through a difficult divorce. “My wife and I got legally married and started living together as husband and wife. However, as a married couple, we cannot coexist. According to Stuart’s letter to the court, Radar Online reports that “our likes, dislikes, tastes, and personalities are so dissimilar that we can no longer live together as husband and wife.” They had split up by 2018 and he had remarried. Stuart tragically went away from cancer that year.
Mary Jo wrote a book to share her experience with the world sixteen years after the shooting occurred. It was published under the title “Getting It Through My Thick Skull: Why I Stayed, What I Learned, and What Millions of People Involved with Sociopaths Need to Know.” In this book, she covers every facet of her life, including the shooting. As for her current location, Mary Jo has happily reclaimed her maiden name and is now living in California under the name Mary Jo Connery. She uses her experience to motivate audiences as a motivational speaker and to spread awareness of facial paralysis. Although Mary Jo’s life has been extremely difficult, she has unquestionably made the most of it.
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