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Sarah Sherman

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Sarah Sherman
Sherman in 2022
Born
Sarah Nicole Sherman

(1993-03-07) March 7, 1993 (age 31)
Long Island, New York, U.S.
Other namesSarah Squirm
EducationNorthwestern University (BA)
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • actress
  • screenwriter
Years active2013–present
TelevisionSaturday Night Live
Websitesarahsquirm.com

Sarah Nicole Sherman (born March 7, 1993),[1][2] also known professionally as Sarah Squirm, is an American comedian, actress, and screenwriter. Sherman is known for using surreal and body horror comedy.[3][4][5][6][7] She became a featured player on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live starting with its 47th season in October 2021,[8][9] and was promoted to Repertory Status in October 2023.[10]

Early life

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Sherman was born and raised in Great Neck,[11] Long Island, New York, in a Jewish family.[12][13] She told Variety, "I grew up liking, you know, crazy cartoons, and I love Joan Rivers and The Nanny and Garbage Pail Kids and Ren & Stimpy and stuff like that."[11] She told another interviewer, "I had Raggedy Ann dolls. Thinking about it now, Raggedy Ann has heavily influenced the way I dress. I had a bunch of Lamb Chop dolls, too. I'm a huge Lamb Chop freak because Shari Lewis was a Jewish comedian, and I have a giant Lamb Chop tattoo on my leg."[14]

She attended Great Neck South High School, where she was on the improv team and ran track,[15] graduating in 2011; then attended Northwestern University and graduated in 2015[16] with a degree in theater.[7][17][18]

Career

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Early work

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Sherman developed an interest in stand-up comedy after she did not make the improv team at Northwestern. After graduating, she decided to stay in Chicago, befriending comedians like Megan Stalter, and had a monthly show called Helltrap Nightmare along with Luke Taylor, David Brown, Wyatt Fair, and Scott Egleston.[19][20] Sherman began performing under her stage name "Sarah Squirm", which was inspired by a high school nickname. She was also getting booked as a comedian alongside noise musicians as she had friends that ran a record label.[20]

In 2018, she made her television debut in an Adult Swim infomercial titled "Flayaway."[3][20] In 2019, Sherman opened for fellow comedian Eric André on his Legalize Everything tour.[13] She was also a writer for The Eric Andre Show, Three Busy Debras, and Magic for Humans.[21]

Saturday Night Live

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Sherman was asked to audition for the long-running NBC sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live after doing a stand-up set at the Just for Laughs festival. She had previously been asked to perform some showcases for SNL producers and attempted some character-based work which, according to her, "fucking sucked."[20] She initially auditioned for SNL in 2016, as part of a showcase at the iO Theater in Chicago that also featured Alex Moffat, who would be hired as part of the cast that year.[22] In 2021, she auditioned again. James Austin Johnson was directly ahead of her in line, and she expressed her nervousness, but "I went into the audition with good vibes because of James and, LOL, we both got it." In the interview, she added, "I did standup. I didn't have any impressions or characters. It was disgusting, I'm talking about genitals."[23]

In 2023, Sherman was promoted to a repertory player,[10] and subsequently cast as a featured player for its 47th season, alongside fellow newcomers Johnson and Aristotle Athari.[8][9] Before being hired by SNL, she had had trouble finding employment because her gross-out videos turned hiring managers off.[24] Then, unfortunately, she found a limited audience in her first season because of COVID-19 restrictions, and the end of her second season was cut short by the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[14]

At SNL, Sherman frequently collaborates with writer/film producer Dan Bulla, who joined in 2019 for Season 45,[11][25] and with whom she shares an office.[26] Among their sketches together are "Jewish Elvis," "My Best Friend's House," and "Shrimp Tower."[25][14] The latter, starring host Josh Brolin, earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety or Reality Series.[27] Of their Christmas sketch "Pongo," featuring a "wonderfully creepy" synthetic pet, Bleeding Cool writes, "With all due respect to co-writer Bulla, this sketch had Sarah Sherman's brand of humor all over it – and it was brilliant."[28] About a black-and-white pre-taped video suggestive of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Sherman told Style Weekly, "I was so lucky to have immediately linked up with amazing writers who totally got it. You know, like Dan Bulla, who I write with a lot. We did this sketch called 'The Anomalous Man,' where I play this mythical creature beast with Dua Lipa, it was kind of an Elephant Man parody. When we were writing it, Bulla was like, 'Oh and by the way, you need to have a hunchback with an eyeball on it."[29] Asked about her favorite experience with any performer, Sherman refers to her twisted, gory Scooby-Doo sketch in Season 49: "This past finale, Jake Gyllenhaal was the co-host. He's such a good actor and just willing to go there and be aggressive and crazy and chaotic and high energy... The first time he hosted, we did that sketch where I play Chucky and I appreciated anyone willing to go there."[29] Also that year, Sherman posted on Instagram "Severed Head Count: 3." The Late Nighter website added them up in an article, "Sarah Sherman's 'Severed Head' Makes Third SNL Appearance." The first time is in the parody documentary sketch "UNTOLD: Battle of the Sexes" in a critical tennis game. "That beheading came at the hand of host Jason Momoa, who knocked off her head with a (literal) breakneck serve." The second time is in the Scooby-Doo sketch, in which Sherman (playing Velma) is clotheslined by a piano wire. The Special Effects team might have used the fake head in that sketch for the next one, "My Best Friend's House," in which Sherman appears as a plastic-wrapped severed head stored in the refrigerator by her best friend's dad, who turns out to be a savage serial killer.[30]

Her segments on Weekend Update are popular among the cast and viewers, as she torments Colin Jost, who is willing to be the butt of the joke. Sherman has said that Jost urged her to create segments for them, and she says, "I took his kindness and used it to just bully him. And it worked great, but it only worked because he's having fun."[29] Her first foray, "Sarah Sherman Roasts Colin Jost," was listed by Mashable at #6 in their ten favorite sketches of 2021, concluding, "She nails it."[31] Among her characters: television journalist Nancy Grace;[32] the widow of Peanut the Squirrel;[33] an alarming meditation guru in a Morgan le Fay-type wig, Genesis Fry, who reveals Jost's darkest secrets; J.J. Gordon, Jost's Hollywood agent, who suggests humiliating film projects for him, such as a Jurassic Park-themed porn film or a biopic entitled Jost the Two of Us: My Summer with Epstein; and CJ Rossitano, who is revealed to be very likely Jost's son. (CJ: "Me and my mom live right over on 47th and Fifth." Jost: "That's funny, that's where my former housekeeper lived." CJ: "What a coincidence, Colin! My mom's a former housekeeper." Harry Chapin's father-son song "Cat's in the Cradle" rises in the background.)[34] In another segment as herself, "Sarah Sherman Roasts Colin Jost Again," Sherman begins to explain how to remain cozy in the winter, then embarrasses Jost by segueing into pubic hair, the cost of living in New York (she lives in Jost's doghouse and pays rent), and his potentially gay relationship with Michael Che, each time turning the topic into an extended insult to Jost. In "Sarah Sherman Roasts Colin Jost," she asks him why there are no Jews in the cast. When he replies that there are Jews on the show, including her, she turns to the camera and yells, "In other news, local wet blanket Colin Jost is keeping track of the amount of Jews at SNL. He's making a list and he's checking it twice."[15][35]

Sherman has been praised by critics for adapting her unusual and surreal comedy style to SNL without losing its impact. Luka Katic of Collider wrote, "Sherman certainly isn't the first unconventional comedian to be featured on SNL (i.e. Tim Robinson, Kyle Mooney, etc.). However, what makes her remarkable is her success in spite of that fact. Where actors like Robinson often felt they had to tone down their material for SNL, Sherman finds inventive alternative ways to channel her deranged sensibilities into the show."[36] Jesse Hassenger of Vulture listed Sherman's "Meatballs" sketch from the Oscar Isaac/Charli XCX episode as one of the best of the season, writing, "In a crowded season, it was especially refreshing to come upon a sketch that feels like such a clear expression of its star's sensibilities."[37] Style Weekly wrote, "With her loud clown wear and freakish, squirrel-next-door-vibe, Sarah Sherman is hands down the funniest, most unpredictable cast member."[29] WatchMojo describes the "Top 10 Grossest but Hilarious Sarah Squirm Skits on SNL": Bug Assembly; Nickelodeon Show; Spring Flowers; Chucky; Glamgina; Roller Coaster Accident; A Christmas Carol; Eyes; Mail-in Testing Service; and Meatballs.[38]

She has introduced new materials to the costumes and props departments. Sherman enjoys wearing weird outfits, raiding the show's 50 years' worth of costumes and devising new ones. "I played RFK Jr.'s brain worm, and the costume department made me a couture worm [outfit]," she told an interviewer.[39] Looking back at earlier sketches in which Dan Aykroyd and Jay Mohr faked vomiting, she developed "an advanced vomit rig that's handsfree, kind of like Bluetooth style," as she describes it.[11] She once asked Louie Zakarian, the show's multiple-Emmy-Award-winning special-effects makeup chief, to devise a fake seagull that could be impaled in her torso while moving its legs.[40] In 2022, for her sketch "Eyes," Sarah delivered her performance wearing googly eyes (or wiggle eyes) which, her character explains, were "supposed to be refrigerated" but were left in the character's pockets. Zakarian adapted them so that they would allow Sherman "to see through the big eyes, read cue cards, and match it all to [her] skin." He "drilled one big hole in the back and a smaller one in the pupil part;" yet her body heat fogged up the surfaces. Zakarian said that, during the COVID pandemic, he'd discovered a fixing liquid good for certain surfaces, so he used it on the googly eyes. The fogging problem was discovered during the dress rehearsal, so he had only a few minutes to solve it.[41] During an interview in which the two were experimenting with makeup effects, Zakarian said, "There are certain actors that you could put whatever you want on them and they don't transform. She just transforms." Sherman agreed: "I have kind of a 'no' face. I don't have crazy-distinct features."[15] The Guardian listed "Eyes" as one of "the 10 best sketches from the 48th season".[42]

Since the people who write a skit also produce it, they also figure out set design and props, according to Variety. Dan Bulla says, "You talk to every department and a lot of people are like, 'Well, what should the wardrobe be?' Sarah never doesn't have an answer for those questions. She can cut to it from the germ of an idea. She can visualize every aspect of it. She's on the phone with the people who build the puppets." Bulla says Sherman talks about visual effects and color palettes: "It's that granular for her, and all of her ideas start like that."[40]

Other work

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Sherman was credited as a screenwriter for the reality comedy film sequel Jackass Forever (2022).[43] She co-starred in the Adam Sandler comedy film You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (2023)[44] and was cast as a character in downloadable content for the video game High on Life (2022).[45] She voice acted as "Coriander Cadaverish" in the animated film Nimona (2023).[46] and in a cameo for season 2 of Severance (2025).

Since October 2023, Sherman has hosted the NTS Radio show Freakradio Emergency Hotline.[47] Among the artists she has played on the program are Macula Dog, Doug Lussenhop, Johnny Pemberton, Clownvis Presley, Negativland, and The Residents.[48] On September 5, 2024, Sherman began her guest starring role as dialect coach Robin Finch—for Lois Cerillo, played by Rena Sofer—in the daytime soap opera General Hospital.[49] In 2024, she debuted as a host for the Max game show Human vs Hamster.[50]

Influences

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Sherman has said her comedic influences include television shows such as Seinfeld, The Nanny, The Golden Girls, Pee-wee's Playhouse, and The Ren & Stimpy Show.[2][13] She told an interviewer, "I'm obsessed with Jerry Lewis... I look like Jerry!"[14] She has cited Norm Macdonald as an influence on her SNL work: "He was a little troublemaker. I relate to him because he was never not himself."[24] She has also said, "I am obsessed with Norm MacDonald... can you imagine being on a show with Norm MacDonald, someone who's so fearless every week, saying the craziest shit on TV and getting in trouble for it?"[23]

When she started performing stand-up comedy, she took influences from comedians such as Todd Barry, Maria Bamford, and Kristen Schaal.[51] In SNL history, she loves Dana Carvey's iconic sketch "Massive Head Wound Harry" (Season 17), in which Carvey wore a bloody, mangled head prosthetic which is tugged and chewed by a dog.[40][52]

When an interviewer asked why so many of her SNL sketches feature eyeballs, she credited her grandmother: "It's an exposed organ on your head, and it's not that deep. I also have a pathological neurosis about eyeballs because growing up, my grandma had one of her eyeballs removed and I was morbidly obsessed... I have her prosthetic eye. ... She would play these practical jokes on me with it when I was 8 years old. I would wake up and come down into the kitchen for breakfast, and she would turn around with no dentures or lens in. So she just had a white orb in her face and do a jump scare on me. And that was obviously very formative!"[14] Asked whether filmmaker David Cronenberg is an influence, she answered, "Yeah, one billion percent."[14]

Political views

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Sherman supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 United States presidential election.[13] She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.[53]

References

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  1. ^ "SARAH SHERMAN: Saturday Night Live featured-player - NBC.com". www.nbc.com. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Heisler, Steve (March 7, 2018). "Sarah Squirm's comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory". Chicago Reader. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Paulas, Rick (September 3, 2020). "From Pubes to Healthcare: The Stupid Brilliance of Sarah Squirm". Vice. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  4. ^ "Sarah Squirm Uses Body Horror and Piss to Tackle COVID Exhaustion". PAPER. May 7, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  5. ^ "Sarah Squirm: 'I made a necklace out of my dead grandma's glass eyeball'". The Guardian. June 12, 2020. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  6. ^ Freeman, Zach (February 13, 2018). "What did I just see? Sarah Squirm tops a long, strange, funny night at Empty Bottle". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Heisler, Steve (March 7, 2018). "Sarah Squirm's comedy celebrates her body in all its oozing, disgusting glory". Chicago Reader. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Jevens, Darel (September 27, 2021). "Sarah Sherman, weird comic from Chicago, joins 'SNL'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  9. ^ a b Bucksbaum, Sydney (September 27, 2021). "Meet the 3 new Saturday Night Live cast members joining season 47". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  10. ^ a b White, Peter; Grobar, Matt (October 4, 2023). "'SNL': Pete Davidson & Bad Bunny Among Hosts As NBC Show Sets Returns With SAG-AFTRA Blessing, Full Cast Comes Back For Season 49 & Chloe Troast Joins". Deadline. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d Steinberg, Brian (November 19, 2023). "Singing Meatballs and Working With Vomit: Why 'SNL' Star Sarah Sherman Loves 'Outrageous' Comedy". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  12. ^ Friedman, Gabe (October 1, 2021). "Meet Sarah Sherman, SNL's newest Jewish cast member". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  13. ^ a b c d "18 Things to Know About Sarah Sherman AKA Sarah Squirm". Alma. October 1, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e f Encinias, Joshua (August 16, 2023). "Not Ready for Primetime: SNL's Sarah Sherman 'Needs to Go to the Psych Ward'". BKMag. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c Frank, Jason P. (January 17, 2023). "Profile: A Beautiful Mind". Vulture. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  16. ^ Fahmy, Kira (April 12, 2019). "Sarah Squirm brings her raunchy, honest comedy to Northwestern". North by Northwestern. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  17. ^ Meadows, Jonah (September 27, 2021). "Northwestern Alum Joins Cast Of 'SNL' As New Trier Grad Departs". Patch: Evanston IL. Retrieved October 24, 2021.
  18. ^ Grunberger, Alessia (September 28, 2021). "Comedian From Great Neck Cast In Upcoming SNL Season". Patch: Great Neck NY. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  19. ^ Halabian, Layla (May 16, 2022). "Lights, Camera, Squirm!". Nylon. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  20. ^ a b c d Frank, Jason P. (January 17, 2023). "Sarah Sherman's Beautiful Mind". Vulture. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  21. ^ "Sarah Sherman". The Kennedy Center. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
  22. ^ Hoglund, Andy (August 28, 2024). "Alex Moffat Still Misses SNL's Adrenaline Rush". Vulture. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Boller, Jay (June 15, 2023). "'SNL' Star Sarah Sherman Predicts Parkway Theater Shows Will be 'Just Rude. Nasty and Rude.'". Racket. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  24. ^ a b "Sarah Sherman Was Sure Her Vulgar Videos Made Her Unhireable. Then 'SNL' Called". Bustle. April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
  25. ^ a b Rudolph, Christopher (October 14, 2024). "Dan Bulla Has Earned His SNL Vanity Card". Late Nighter. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  26. ^ Riccardo, Nick (May 14, 2024). "Inside Sarah Sherman's Clown-Filled SNL Dressing Room". Late Nighter. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  27. ^ Rudolph, Christopher (October 14, 2024). "Josh Brolin's Emmy-Winning "Shrimp Tower" SNL Sketch Is Slapstick Cinema". NBC. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  28. ^ Flook, Ray (August 31, 2024). "SNL Second-Guessing: McKinnon & Eilish's Touching, Twisted Holiday". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  29. ^ a b c d Baldwin, Brent (June 29, 2024). "The Eyeball Kid". Style Weekly. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  30. ^ Riccardo, Nick (October 14, 2024). "Sarah Sherman's 'Severed Head' Makes Third SNL Appearance". Late Nighter. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  31. ^ Rosenberg, Adam (December 14, 2021). "Our favorite 'Saturday Night Live' sketches of 2021, ranked". Mashable. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  32. ^ Flook, Ray (December 15, 2024). "SNL Cast, Strong Writing, Cue Cards Boost Chris Rock-Hosted Effort". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  33. ^ Gariano, Francesca (November 17, 2024). "Peanut the squirrel's widow mourns the loss of husband in nutty 'SNL' sketch". NBCDFW. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  34. ^ Vincenty, Samantha (October 14, 2024). "Sarah Sherman Found a New Way to Torment Colin Jost As His "Son" on "Weekend Update"". NBC. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  35. ^ Frick, Evelyn (November 15, 2021). "Sarah Sherman Makes Her 'SNL' Weekend Update Debut and It's Perfectly Jewish". Hey Alma. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  36. ^ Katic, Luka (June 13, 2022). "Sarah "Squirm" Sherman Is the Renegade Body-Horror Comedian 'SNL' Needs". Collider. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  37. ^ Hassenger, Jesse (June 2, 2022). "The 17 Best SNL Sketches of Season 47". Vulture. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  38. ^ "Top 10 Grossest but Hilarious Sarah Squirm Skits on SNL". WatchMojo. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  39. ^ Solomon, Matt (July 31, 2024). "Some Sarah Sherman 'SNL' Pitches Are Deemed 'Far Too Gross for Television'". Cracked. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  40. ^ a b c Steinberg, Brian (November 30, 2023). "Crazy Props, Googly Eyes, Better Fake Vomit: 'SNL' Star Sarah Sherman Works to Make Viewers Laugh 'While They Are Screaming in Horror'". Variety. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  41. ^ Schimkowitz, Matt (October 20, 2024). "Sarah Sherman and SNL's Makeup Head breakdown horrific 'Googly Eyes' sketch". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  42. ^ Vasquez, Zach (June 22, 2023). "Saturday Night Live: the 10 best sketches from the 48th season". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  43. ^ Price, Joe (February 5, 2022). "'Jackass Forever' Video Highlights New Cast Members and Their Wild Stunts". Complex. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  44. ^ Grobar, Matt (July 13, 2022). "Adam Sandler, Idina Menzel & 'SNL's Sarah Sherman Among Cast Set For Netflix's YA Comedy 'You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah'; Happy Madison & Alloy Entertainment Producing". Deadline. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  45. ^ Romano, Sal (June 13, 2023). "High On Life DLC 'High On Knife' announced". Gematsu. Retrieved June 14, 2023.
  46. ^ Giardina, Carolyn (April 25, 2023). "Netflix Animation Reveals 'In Your Dreams,' a New SpongeBob Adventure and Additional 'Nimona' Voice Casting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  47. ^ "'SARAH SQUIRM'S FREAKRADIO'". NTS Radio. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  48. ^ @sarahsquirm (February 15, 2024). "FREAKRADIO". Retrieved February 15, 2024 – via Instagram.
  49. ^ "Sarah Sherman is Guest-Starring on a Show That's the Polar Opposite of SNL This Week". NBC. September 5, 2024.
  50. ^ Wangu, Elah (November 15, 2024). "Human Vs Hamster Season 1: Release Date, Cast & Everything We Know". Screen Rant. Retrieved November 26, 2024 – via MSN.
  51. ^ SARAH SHERMAN | Good For You Podcast with Whitney Cummings | EP#144, June 30, 2022, retrieved July 29, 2022
  52. ^ White, Jessica (June 7, 2022). "SNL's 'Massive Head Wound Harry' Is the Epitome of '90s Comedy". NBC. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  53. ^ @Demsocialists (November 4, 2020). "@sarahsquirm is live now on Socialist and Distanced and tearing it up for democratic socialism" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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