Rob Ford Does Not Exist!

Ford and two members of the Second City Troupe. 

In a shocking twist, Rob Ford, ostensibly the mayor of Toronto since 2010, has been revealed as one of the greatest inadvertent media hoaxes of the 21st century.

Television producer and writer Ken Finkleman gave a press conference at the Canadian Broadcasting Building in downtown Toronto earlier today to reveal the truth. Flanked by 'Mayor Ford' and David Miller, he admitted to inventing the character for an unscripted comedy pilot for the CBC.

Ken Finkleman reveals the truth about 'Rob Ford'. 

Chagrined at how everything spiralled out of control, Finkleman said, "We couldn't believe how long we were able to keep it going. It was just a stunt for my new CBC show, The Candidate, exploring the absurdity of municipal politics. Rob Ford, the character, was a Joe Public version of Jim Walcott. I emphasize that we never expected to win the election. We had a joke candidate. But once we had, we found ourselves in a real conundrum, both legally and morally."

Jim Walcott was a character on Finkleman's most successful show, The Newsroom. Played superbly by Peter Keleghan, he was a shallow, manipulative, and appallingly stupid anchorman who later ran for public office.

"Politics is a vein of humour too good to ignore. It's like professional wrestling: if you're going to do it, go all the way. So we made it as real as possible," says Finkleman. "Best of all, we didn't need sets. The city provided them. There are only two professional actors on the show. TV has never been cheaper or more legally actionable."

Fulbrow in the role of fictional character Rob Ford

Consultations with civic authorities led to former mayor David Miller taking over behind the scenes, in order to keep the city running. In the meantime, Dick Fulbrow (Rob Ford), continued to improvise comedy routines in front of the cameras. Footage includes 'Mayor Ford' unsuccessfully trying to throw a football, and walking into a camera with his face. Finkleman has rarely explored the pain of slapstick, and this represented a change of pace. Like his other shows, it focuses on unsympathetic lead character who's hypocritical and frequently acts without thinking.

"Now that the cat's out of the bag," exults Finkleman, "I have no doubt we'll be able to get funding for the series. The key was in the casting. Dick's a comedy genius. A new Chris Farley. Honestly, the crack smoking was pure genius. Dick will go to any length for a laugh. No matter how painful. He personifies the struggle for truth through the celebration of ignorance."



The Mayor will be hitting the small screen in 2015 on CBC.

It's a satire.