Was there an update to this sad case?

I don't think it was ever shown on Lifetime for some reason.

I'm not sure if James Vernon ever found Libby. However I did find an article about him. James Vernon now lives in the Tampa Bay area in Florida and still performs at various comedy clubs in Florida. Vernon was actually quite successful back in the mid to late 80's and early 90's. He gave up cross country touring though it seems after being severely burned in an accident in 1993. He has his own production company, James Vernon Productions and teaches comedy classes in the Tampa Bay area and it seems like he is constantly giving back and making people laugh so good for him!

http://tampa.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A206993

Wasn't that the segment where the man had some drug issues in the early '80s and was looking for the person who helped him through it at the time via telephone? To my recollection, the segment included a reenactment in which the man was speaking to his would-be savior on a pay phone.

I only saw that segment once on NBC, and it was evidently excluded from Lifetime.

Wasn't that the segment where the man had some drug issues in the early '80s and was looking for the person who helped him through it at the time via telephone? To my recollection, the segment included a reenactment in which the man was speaking to his would-be savior on a pay phone.

I only saw that segment once on NBC, and it was evidently excluded from Lifetime.

Yes, that is correct.

Yes that is him. He actually did touring back in the mid to late 80's with Jay Leno and the late Bill Hicks and Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Harvey to name a few.

I wonder if the depictions of drug use kept this off Lifetime. Some networks are squeamish about that. "The Breakfast Club" may be missing the pot smoking scenes depending on which network it happens to be on.

I wanted to see if there was any resolution to this. Any updates?

I wanted to see if there was any resolution to this. Any updates?

Actually, Libby did apparently call in to UM on the night of the original broadcast. For confidentiality reasons, she couldn't give her full name or meet with James in person, but he did get the opportunity to thank her over the phone. He's still going quite well, from what I've heard.

Sorry to be bearing bad news, but James Vernon died in March, 2011. he was 59.

Sorry to be bearing bad news, but James Vernon died in March, 2011. he was 59.

:( I'm sad to hear that, but at least he was able to live the last few decades of his life clean and happy.

Here's an official link with the news for those who are curious to learn more;
http://sheckymagazine.com/2011/03/james-vernon-comedian/