Skip to main content

The Court Jester Whose Wit Saved His Life

How a court jester slapped the king's butt, then brilliantly convinced him not to kill him Triboulet served as court jester under King Francis I, who ruled France from 1515 to 1547 . Triboulet's quick humor rescued him from Francis I's deadly wrath, not once, but twice. Court jesters hold a unique place in history. Playing the fool for kings and queens meant they were always in close proximity to royalty, but so very far from their rank and station. Comedians often like to push boundaries, but that can be a dangerous business when your job is to entertain the peope who have executioners at their beck and call. Especially when you forget your place—or purposely ignore it, as the case may be—and playfully smack the reigning monarch square on the behind. That little whoopsie was the claim to fame of Triboulet, a court jester who served King Francis I in 16th-century France. But it was how he got away with slapping the king on the butt and living to tell about it that earne...

Mom Sick When She Sees Boy’s Strange New Skill

Mom Sick When She Sees Boy’s Strange New Skill, Now Babysitter Is In Jail

Joshua Stephen Lapin-Bertone (left), Monterey Lakeside Park (right)


For 4 years, a man in Florida provided the daily care for a little boy while his mother went to work, thinking she could trust this man. The woman had no clue what he was teaching her son until his strange new skill came to light and left neighbors horrified. Now, the male nanny is being babysat behind bars.

From the time the unnamed woman’s son was 6-years-old, he spent a lot of time with now 30-year-old Joshua Stephen Lapin-Bertone, who the mom found on Care.com.

Never questioning what they did during the day and assuming he was being well taken care of for the salary she paid him, there was no ignoring what was really going on after the woman got a call from police after the babysitter’s late night at the park with her son.

According to WFLA, the pair was at Monterey Lakeside Park on Monday night near Tampa, when they didn’t realize an off-duty cop was nearby and happened to hear what was going on.

At around 11:15 p.m., Lapin-Bertone was seen instructing the boy on how to set off chemical bombs, causing several to explode on his own first, before showing the 10-year-old child in his care how to throw them.

The loud explosions rocked the nearby Logan Gate neighborhood, sending cops and the curious off-duty officer to the scene, where they made an even more alarming find in the babysitter’s car.

Prepared for much more, Lapin-Bertone had additional chemicals used for making acid bombs in his vehicle. Officers secured the chemicals at the scene and called the boy’s mom to come pick her son up at the park.

Lapin-Bertone was arrested and charged with four counts of Making/Placing/Discharging a Destructive Device and four counts of Child Abuse Endangerment but has since been released on bond.

He’s lucky the boy didn’t get hurt in the park that night or at any other time while he was entrusted to this dangerous man. If this was just discovered four years into their nanny arrangements, it leaves one to wonder what else this child has been a part of with his babysitter before now.



Comments