Frosty the Snowman voice actor Jackie Vernon allegedly hid multiple families before life with wife Hazel

The beloved voice behind Frosty the Snowman reportedly led a far more complicated personal life than fans ever knew. According to David Vernon, the son of late comedian and actor Jackie Vernon, the performer had fathered multiple children across at least three previous marriages before starting a family with his wife Hazel Vernon. David shared the revelations during the Nov. 30 episode of Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia.

Jackie Vernon, best known for voicing the iconic snowman in the 1969 animated Christmas classic, raised three children with Hazel. However, David recalled learning as a child that his father had an entire history kept hidden from the family. He described a moment from his youth when an unfamiliar woman arrived at their home accompanied by an older teen. When she asked for Jackie, David told her his father was traveling for work at the time. The woman insisted on speaking with Hazel, which ultimately led to a tense exchange behind closed doors.

David said he later discovered that before his parents married, Jackie had been wed several times and had multiple sons from those relationships. In a surprising detail, David noted that all of Jackie’s sons from previous marriages had been given the same name—Ralph—after Jackie’s birth name, Ralph Verrone. According to David, Jackie had left each of those families behind as he moved forward with his life.

David also shared that his father struggled with depression and addiction in his later years, describing it as a difficult period for the comedian. Despite these challenges, Jackie reportedly found comfort in the enduring charm of Frosty the Snowman. Shortly before his death in 1987 at age 63, the family watched the special together, and David recalled how much joy and pride it brought his father.