Sarah Sherman

Summary

GOOD HANG WITH AMY POEHLER — Sarah Sherman (June 16, 2026 — The Ringer)

Episode Overview
In this infectiously hilarious and candid episode of Good Hang, Amy Poehler sits down with SNL standout Sarah Sherman (Sarah Squirm), fresh off her fifth season and her bold new HBO special, Sarah Squirm: Live and in the Flesh. The conversation dives headfirst into body comedy, performance art, the ongoing evolution of SNL, outrageous childhood antics, and what it means to command both the grotesque and the delightful on stage. Close friend and collaborator Mitra Jouhari (Big Mouth, Three Busy Debras) joins by phone with starter questions and reminiscences, leading to a rollicking, profound, and at times gleefully NSFW exploration of joy, discomfort, and survival as a woman and comic performer.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Intro: Mutual Admiration and Mitra’s Perspective
• Childhood, Family, and Early Comedy
• Developing the Persona: From “Sarah Squirm” to SNL
• Body Horror and Claiming “Disgust”
• SNL: Process, Pressure, and Performing Within/Against the System
• Artistry, Influences, and the Special
• On Bombs, Best Shows, and Comedy Survival
• What’s Making Sarah Laugh Now?
• Memorable Quotes
• Notable Segments & Timestamps

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Intro: Mutual Admiration and Mitra’s Perspective

(02:40–06:10)

• Amy welcomes Sarah, setting an NSFW tone, and introduces Mitra Jouhari as a close friend and comedy peer who submits questions and stories for the episode.
• Mitra recalls meeting Sarah in 2015 via Chicago circles, naming her “a freak” in the best way, and marvels at Sarah’s seamless blend of music, art, and performance (“she worked in radio and just brings all of that...DIY spaces, both in music and standup and art, would have this sort of rocker character persona” [05:36]).
• The differences between Sarah’s “persona” and her genuine “warmth” (06:28):
  • “She’s just very cozy. People feel very comfortable with her. Which you wouldn’t expect from someone whose material is kind of exclusively about her flapping labia.” — Mitra
• Amy and Mitra discuss Sarah’s unique approach to body horror and gross-out humor, her “fun pervert” energy, and how she disarms and involves her audience.

Childhood, Family, and Early Comedy

(22:33-30:44)

• Sarah grew up on Long Island, with a public school teacher mom and a dad in the “shmata” (rag) business — “old school Jewish schmata business...all the same kind of Jewish guys running around” [23:06].
• Sarah’s fixation on clothes, rooted in her father’s work, and early obsession with The Nanny and Golden Girls shaped her aesthetic.
• Disruptive and comedic childhood: pranking her brother with a skeleton (“I loved April Fool’s Day because that also felt like the comedian’s day to shine. It’s like clown’s Christmas.” [25:43]); her bat mitzvah fell on April Fool’s Day (“the invitation was snakes in a can that I hand delivered to everyone’s house” [26:24]), which she describes as her stand-up debut.
• Musical theater as a kid: Sarah delighted in taking “liberties” with minor roles (“I was in the chorus and into the woods...I found a red and black lace gown...I am. My character is the Russian Tsarina.” [28:49])

Developing the Persona: From “Sarah Squirm” to SNL

(30:44–44:08)

• Amy and Sarah dive into Sarah’s self-described “innate confidence,” which she attributes to both “knowing what it’s like to bomb” and unconditional family support.
  • “Every bad thing that could happen to me onstage has already happened...what more could happen?”
  • “Ambivalence is confidence, too.” — Amy [30:44]
• Northwestern: Rejected from college sketch groups — “devastated,” motivated by spite, and started doing standup, then created “Hell Trap Nightmare,” a performance art/standup hybrid in Chicago DIY spaces.
• Origin of her extreme stage bits: “I chugged a can of room temperature clam chowder...I think the joke was literally like, ‘Oh, you like a woman who’s a tall drink of water. I’m a tall can of clam chowder.’ And then chugged the whole thing.” [33:11]
• Her “outside-in” approach: costumes and aesthetics spark the bit, not the other way around. She admits to struggling with “inside-out” character work (“What if the wig is weird? ... I’m forcing it from the other way around.” [43:31])

Body Horror and Claiming “Disgust”

(06:55–09:31, 15:37–17:17, recurring)

• Sarah’s act is rooted in “body horror,” “scatological,” “dysmorphia on dysmorphia.” Amy points out that her special’s audience is mostly men being “ritually humiliated,” finding it “amazing” [07:23].
• They discuss the difference between “perverts” and “creeps.” Sarah’s common gross-out themes are ultimately about inclusivity and catharsis:
  • “I’m disgusting. Aren’t you disgusting? We’re all disgusting. No, you’re the disgusting one.” — Mitra [09:06]
• Sarah’s recurring IBS/diarrhea bits; “hot girls with IBS,” and broader acceptance of bodily “grossness” in comedy — “...more and more there’s an acceptance that everyone has a different way to work within the system” [21:25].

SNL: Process, Pressure, and Performing Within/Against the System

(16:13–48:46)

• Sarah describes the intensity of SNL as “all-consuming” (19:54), how she can’t imagine having a life outside the job, and how her “body stuff” humor found an unexpected home there.
• Host/cast dynamics: Amy reminisces about “in-between times” and giggles with Sarah and Bowen Yang (16:53–17:17).
• Sarah’s initial SNL audition bombed, as she was trying “to do what I thought the assignment was” instead of her own brand (41:52).
• Her path to success on the show involved getting face time on Weekend Update—at Colin Jost’s suggestion—doing her own persona (“I didn’t know you could do that”), which unlocked her recognition with audiences (48:05–48:14).
• On working with SNL’s prosthetics maestro Louis Zakarian: “He’s ripping a bird beak off and putting googly eyes on my eyes. He’s ‘get out there’...He films the whole thing...We could have, like, 45 seconds to get me looking from Jessica Rabbit into, like, Ms. Grinch or whatever.” [49:43]
• Sarah’s SNL stress dreams: about being left out of the sketch-writing process, helplessly seeking writing partners as the halls get infinitely long, or pooping in a (prop) toilet—“my Jungian analyst says it’s putting work out there and being embarrassed” [54:15–55:27].

Artistry, Influences, and the Special

(33:51–66:23)

• Sarah blends visual and performance art, making her own show posters as “trigger warnings” for the tone (“lungs with nipples,” “tampon with poop on it”). Her mother wore a Hell Trap Nightmare shirt with “a uterus with ovary eyeballs and a severed finger shoved up into the...gaping, gashed vagina” [34:53].
• Her parents are deeply supportive, to “Paul Schrader’s Hardcore” levels of awkward pride, which Sarah identifies as a profound privilege and a source of confidence.
• Inspirations: Paula Poundstone, Spongebob, Ren & Stimpy, Pee Wee, John Waters (“ultimate trigger warning”), all merged into her special’s absurdist, gleefully graphic visual language (62:54–63:19). Waters appeared in her special after she sent him a “trigger warning” illustrated letter.
  • “Hey, Sarah, it’s John Waters. I’ll see you on that.” [64:23]
• Amy sees in Sarah’s work “a dance with the grotesque,” likening her to Cindy Sherman: “You have a gr...you have a dance with the grotesque that’s super interesting.” [52:39]

On Bombs, Best Shows, & Comedy Survival

(58:27–62:33)

• Sarah shares about her “biggest bombs,” especially opening for Adam Sandler, whose audiences were sometimes bewildered:
  • “They’re there to see Adam Sandler. Not Long Island presents Sarah Sherman. Someone they don’t know who’s sweating up there.” [60:11]
• Her special, Live Plus In The Flesh, retains her punk stage name (Sarah Squirm) as an homage to her roots in music and art scenes, punk bands, and “guts” aesthetic.
• She weighs the pressure to default to “Sarah Sherman” for wider recognition vs. holding true to her personal ‘band name.’

What’s Making Sarah Laugh Now?

(66:27–end)

• Real Housewives (“most recently, always Real Housewives” [66:45]), General Hospital as a childhood and adult delight—Sarah briefly appeared as “a woman... The Russian Tsarina,” and Amy shares her own soap opera background.
• H. Jon Benjamin’s “Home Movies” and Hollywood Handbook podcast (“just one long, fat bit joke” [69:24]) are other comfort favorites.
• Sarah unpacks the joy of riffing with safe, like-minded friends, and the intimacy in playful familial teasing:
  • “There’s no greater joy...like entering dangerous terrain with people who are really skilled that will take care of you.” — Amy [70:30]

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Memorable Quotes

Sarah Sherman on Body Comedy and Audiences

• “I’m disgusting. Aren’t you disgusting? We’re all disgusting. No, you’re the disgusting one.” — Mitra Jouhari (09:06)
• “As mean as I’d be to Colin, calling him a pedophile or whatever, I’m really mean to myself.” — Sarah Sherman (47:11)
• “I chugged a can of room temperature clam chowder...and everyone’s like, cool. Okay.” (33:11)

Amy on SNL Survival & Confidence

• “Ambivalence is confidence, too. This idea of, like, I’m just going to float a little bit...so that you’re going to have to come find me.” (30:44)
• “You have command of what you’re doing in a way that’s...rare. If you were truly detached in a way...then it’s kind of hard to attach...but you aren’t.” (65:29)

On Parental Support and Creative Risks

• “I think that’s what the confidence is a little...I didn’t want to say it, but...loving parents privilege.” — Amy Poehler (36:12)
• “There's not a threat of losing my family.” — Sarah Sherman (36:30)
• “My mom...wore my old Hell Trap Nightmare shirt, which was a uterus with ovary eyeballs and a severed finger shoved up into the...gaping, gashed vagina...” (34:53)

On Performance Anxiety

• “Bombing on live TV is one thing. Bombing trying to get someone to write a sketch with you is a fate worse than death.” (54:40)

On Comedy as Dangerous Play

• “There’s some delight...If you get to be around like-minded and safe people...and you guys are like, playing, like, just on the edge of things...There's no greater joy.” — Amy Poehler (70:30)
• “We are making fat jokes... Is that amazing? No, but it’s...you can be a little scary when it’s safe.” — Sarah Sherman (70:49)

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Notable Segments & Timestamps

• [02:40] Mitra Jouhari on Sarah’s development, origin stories
• [06:55] Mitra and Amy analyze Sarah’s gross-out humor and audience interplay
• [15:37] Sarah and Amy swap stories on foot health, Wikifeet, and performer “pervert” status
• [22:33] Sarah’s Long Island upbringing, Jewish shmata business, and childhood bar mitzvah as comedic roots
• [28:49] “Russian Tsarina” bit; her early inclination to upend minor roles
• [33:11] Founding Hell Trap Nightmare—real DIY, art-meets-standup origins
• [43:31] Discussing the “outside-in” versus “inside-out” acting challenge
• [48:05] Sarah’s path to Weekend Update: “I didn’t know you could do that”
• [49:43] Louis Zakarian’s makeup wizardry on SNL (“pit crew” as makeup department)
• [52:39] Amy compares Sarah to Cindy Sherman, praises her “dance with the grotesque”
• [54:15] “Stress dream” of writing night at SNL and pooping in a prop toilet
• [63:01] John Waters cameo and what he means to Sarah (plus, her process for getting him in the special)
• [66:27] Sarah’s media/comedy picks: Real Housewives, General Hospital, Home Movies, Hollywood Handbook
• [70:30] Amy on the magic of riffing, play, and family teasing in comedy

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Highlight: Most Iconic Exchange

Amy: “Whether the content doesn’t matter. It’s like, are we worried about you when we're watching you? I’m never worried about you anytime you’re ever performing. And it’s not, like, cocky. Cause you’re super self-deprecating all the time. You’re very honest—your feelings are right up front and center. But there is a confidence that I feel like you just were born with, this idea of grabbing things and wanting them.” (29:53)

Sarah: “Even though it sounds like I crushed my first time at bat, I’m so...every bad thing that could happen to me on stage has already happened, kind of thing. So it’s like, I don’t even know if it’s, like, confidence. It’s like, I’m gonna crush this right now. It’s like, what more could happen?” (30:19)

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This Good Hang episode delivers a chaotic, poignant, and thoroughly joyful exploration of the freedom and terror in comedy, spotlighting Sarah Sherman’s refusal to apologize for her body, her art, or her weirdness—and Amy Poehler’s mission to celebrate that uncompromising spirit.
Recommended for: Comedy nerds, SNL obsessives, anyone curious about the intersection of body, confidence, and the creative process, and those who love to laugh at—and with—the grotesque.

Transcript

[Sarah Sherman]

So you're saying with Hilton Honors, I can use points for a free night stay anywhere?

[Mitra Juhari]

Anywhere.

[Sarah Sherman]

What about fancy places like the canopy in Paris?

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Hilton Honors, baby.

[Sarah Sherman]

Or relaxing sanctuaries like the Conrad in Tulum?

[Amy Poehler]

Hilton Honors, baby. Ooh, what about the five star Waldorf

[Sarah Sherman]

Astoria in the Maldives?

[Amy Poehler]

Are you gonna do this for all

[Sarah Sherman]

9,000 properties when you want points that

[Amy Poehler]

can take you anywhere anytime?

[Mitra Juhari]

It matters where you stay. Hilton for the stay foreign.

[Amy Poehler]

Hello, everyone. Welcome to another episode of Good Hang. We are very excited about our guest today. It is Sarah Sherman. Sarah is a current cast member on Saturday Night Live and we could consider her a vet. She has just finished her fifth season and I just want to file this one under not safe for work or for kids because we do get into some fun and down and dirty topics like, well, snl, duh, and psychoanalysis and Long island and her insane, wildly original new special, Sarah Squirm live and in the flesh on hbo. So listen for Sarah. But before we start, right, we always like to talk to somebody who knows our guest who, who has spent time with them and who can speak well and give us a question. And we're going to talk today to Mitra Juhari. Mitra is an amazing actress, writer, producer. You may know her from episodes of the Bear, from the show she created three busy Debras. She's a writer on Big Mouth and she's just incredible talent. Came up with Sarah, her good friend. We're gonna check in with Mitra, who is on her lunch break and get a question from her. So, hi, Mitra. It's good to see. This episode of Good Hang is presented by Paul Mollev. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners, sitting around the table, everyone talking at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9% of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier so you can spend less time tackling dirty dishes and clean and more time together. Shop [e-mail]. ME

[Mitra Juhari]

she's on the set.

[Amy Poehler]

Mitra is on the set. Mitra, where are we talking to you from?

[Sarah Sherman]

Netflix.

[Amy Poehler]

A lot of people don't know Netflix has beautiful offices.

[Sarah Sherman]

Really?

[Amy Poehler]

Really.

[Mitra Juhari]

They give you a free hangar so incredible.

[Amy Poehler]

You could hang anything on that.

[Mitra Juhari]

You can hang anything on that. As long as it's not pants because the hanger is broken. I hear giggles in the back. Oh, I wish I was in there.

[Amy Poehler]

On top of Mitra being incredibly talented, she's also incredibly like a real deal activist, boots on the ground person. And I was thinking about during COVID when you. When you zoomed with my sons to talk to them about the LA unhoused situation and what they could do about it.

[Mitra Juhari]

It was me too. They were so cute and sweet. I like, I loved talking to them. They were so thoughtful and had such good questions and were really making me laugh.

[Amy Poehler]

Remember that when we were all just like in that Covid bubble of just like. I guess we. I guess this is how we'll learn now.

[Mitra Juhari]

I was living with Patty and we were making some of the most fucked up cocktails imaginable. Like actively drinking them, being like, this is disgusting, and finishing them.

[Amy Poehler]

Hattie Harrison, another hilarious comedian and actor. Okay, we've got Sarah coming in today.

[Mitra Juhari]

That's why I'm sad. Another reason why I'm sad. I'm not there. I want to be seeing her.

[Amy Poehler]

I have so many questions for Sarah. Did you watch her special?

[Mitra Juhari]

Yes, I have questions for her too. Her Nasty Ass.

[Amy Poehler]

Her Nasty Ass special. You have known Sarah for a very long time. When did you two first meet?

[Mitra Juhari]

2015. And our mutual friend Drennan, who knew her from Chicago. She was coming out to New York to do shows and she guested on this show called Holy Fuck that I was a part of. And he was like, there's this freak coming named Sarah Sherman, and I think you guys would really like each other. And then we like hit it off immediately and we went on a tour with this great comedian and writer named Jamie Loftus called the Sarah Mitra and Jamie Are Ugly Tour. And just like she eventually wrote and appeared butt naked on Deborah.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah. So we, we worked on a show together three busy Debras on Adult Swim that you wrote and produced and you were the star of along with other Deb, Sandy and Alyssa. That's right. And Sarah was a writer on there, which is where I first heard her. And I was introduced to her as Sarah Squirm, which is the name she was going by at the time, which I remember thinking at the time it was unusual that a comic actor had like what felt like almost like a rock star name.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yes. Which. And it makes so much sense because, like, she came up in these great music venues and like, was like. I feel like every time I would come to Chicago and do shows with her at the Hideout, it was always like with these really interesting bands that I would like, I've never heard of, would never have heard of and she's, like, such a true fan of live music and worked in radio and just brings all of that. So it makes sense to me that this person who's working in these DIY spaces, both in music and standup and art, would have this sort of rocker character Persona.

[Amy Poehler]

Totally. My questions today for her are really, when did that person start? When does that person come out? Because you know Sarah really well, and I've gotten to know her from getting to work with her. And her Persona and her personality are, like, alike, but also very different.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah, she's like. I feel like it makes so much sense that she landed in Chicago because she does have this, like, warmth and, like, I don't know, familiarity with people. That feels very Midwestern to me, even though she's not from there. But, like, she's just very cozy. People feel very comfortable with her. Which you wouldn't expect from someone whose material is kind of exclusively about her flapping labia.

[Amy Poehler]

Exactly. For people that are learning about Sarah here, her stuff on SNL is in the structure of snl. But Sarah's material is super scatological. She calls it body horror. It's a ton of dysmorphia on dysmorphia. Shocking, shocking, shocking stuff. And I want to ask Sarah, like, the cutaways to her audience during the special. I'm like, who is this audience?

[Mitra Juhari]

I have the same exact audience.

[Amy Poehler]

So many men. So many men laughing and being, like, ritually humiliated at the same time. It's amazing.

[Mitra Juhari]

Perverts.

[Amy Poehler]

God. My favorite word. My favorite word.

[Mitra Juhari]

Would you say Sarah's your first pervert guest?

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, absolutely not. No. But I love a pervert. I don't like a creep.

[Mitra Juhari]

There's a difference, big time.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's a fine line. I mean, you know, and it's very. It happens. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying, but rarely are women creeps, but they can definitely be perverts. But if you're a perverted man, you have a high creep susceptibility.

[Mitra Juhari]

Obviously, you gotta be really careful.

[Amy Poehler]

You gotta be really careful. But a fun pervert, I mean, they kind of feel almost, you know. This is another thing that I want to talk to Sarah about is, like, the way she is a fun pervert and then turns on her audience and yells at them for liking it. It's so real.

[Mitra Juhari]

Well, because it's like, it's such a relief to have someone, obviously, in such a heightened way. But, like, talk about all these. All these things that, like, I also am, like, horrified by in my own body where I'm like, why does it do that? Why is there hair there? What is that substance? Like, having someone put words to it and show it in, like, such a n. It, like, it is so heightened. But it's also, like, how I feel looking at, like, these parts of me and she. It like, she. She really brings it to life in a way that is, like, actually very inviting, I feel, where it's like, I'm disgusting. Aren't you disgusting? We're all disgusting. No, you're the disgusting one.

[Amy Poehler]

Perfect way to sum it up, in watching her stuff, I'm like, on the surface level, it's kind of like grotesque, almost performance art stuff. But then underneath it is, like, this idea of claiming the stuff that gets thrown at us all the time anyway. Just kind of claiming it and doubling down on it.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yes. The horrors of being a woman and having a body.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

So I always ask people to give my guest a question. What do you think Sarah would want to talk about? Answer. Small or big? Any story you want to prompt her to tell or anything you don't know about her yet.

[Mitra Juhari]

Okay. I wrote down a few leaves.

[Amy Poehler]

Such a writer.

[Mitra Juhari]

I really overthought it.

[Amy Poehler]

Why don't we get the room in? Let's get the room in here and let's just keep pitching.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah.

[Mitra Juhari]

I got together about 30,000 of my favorite writers to put together a few questions for Sarah. Okay. I wanted to force her to talk about her child musical theater career because she was really. She has so many stories about, like, liberties she took with the characters that she was given.

[Amy Poehler]

Amazing. Thank you. That's great.

[Mitra Juhari]

Okay. I had two, like, bigger questions. If you had a zillion dollars to make any disgusting, practical creation, what would it be?

[Amy Poehler]

Whoa.

[Sarah Sherman]

Great.

[Amy Poehler]

We might have to ask all these questions. These are good.

[Mitra Juhari]

And then what is your biggest bomb and what's your favorite show that you've done? So it's like a, you know, best and worst. Because I feel like Sarah's had some, like, really high highs and some really low lows. So I think either of those I would be really excited to hear about.

[Amy Poehler]

Great.

[Mitra Juhari]

And then if there's time, where does she stand on the Real Housewives of Rhode Island? You know, if you're on, you know, if you're, like, hitting a wall conversationally.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, perfect. I can't wait to ask her these questions. Really good questions. Mitra, thanks for talking to us on your lunch break.

[Mitra Juhari]

I loved every second.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, bye. Thanks, Mitra. Thanks so much.

[Sarah Sherman]

Bye.

[Mitra Juhari]

Bye, honey.

[Amy Poehler]

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[Sarah Sherman]

And this is the food wall. I should have. I'm gonna kill my. I should have brought a little food for the wall.

[Amy Poehler]

It's okay. You don't need to bring it. I don't want that to be.

[Sarah Sherman]

I don't want to bring food for the wall.

[Amy Poehler]

I didn't want people to feel like they needed a brain.

[Sarah Sherman]

No. I would have. I could not to brag. I could have contributed to this. Like crazy.

[Amy Poehler]

I can only imagine what you would have contributed to this.

[Sarah Sherman]

So amazing.

[Amy Poehler]

I. Actually, before we started, I wore these on behalf of you because I feel like you would like them. I wore cheeseburger sneakers that should be

[Sarah Sherman]

on the food wall.

[Amy Poehler]

All right, we'll put one on the wall.

[Sarah Sherman]

What is.

[Amy Poehler]

Let me. It's a cheeseburger sneaker from It's Dolls Kill. It's Dolls Kill,

[Sarah Sherman]

and I feel like

[Amy Poehler]

I'm not gonna lift my foot up. Cause I don. Pervert.

[Sarah Sherman]

Seeing our feet for fun screenshots would sell for a lot of money. Yep. And I'm wearing ice cream. I'm wearing ice cream.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Oh, great.

[Sarah Sherman]

Okay. I feel good now. Okay. I'm not stressed. I was stressed that I didn't bring food, but I. I came as food. You came as food. I came as food.

[Amy Poehler]

Sarah Sherman is here.

[Sarah Sherman]

Do you feel weird now that you're wearing one shoe?

[Amy Poehler]

Such a good question. Let me think. Let me take that in. Yeah, I'm gonna take the other shoe off, but now perverts are gonna know that I'm barefoot the whole time.

[Sarah Sherman]

Can you see?

[Amy Poehler]

No. God, I would never let anyone see my feet.

[Sarah Sherman]

Have you seen. For free?

[Amy Poehler]

No, honey, for free.

[Sarah Sherman]

What do I look like? Take me out to dinner first. Hello. Take me out to a plastic dinner first. Have you seen your wikifeet?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And what are we. What are we talking?

[Amy Poehler]

I'm happy about it.

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, good.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, I feel like with body parts, no one knows this more than you. Like, you have to. Some you make peace with, some you feel neutral about, some you have big thoughts about. I like my feet.

[Sarah Sherman]

I like.

[Amy Poehler]

How about You.

[Sarah Sherman]

I have, like, I got a. I got anxious recently. Well, as you know, on the show, we have to wear many different shoes, many different hats, many different shoes, many different ways. I'm always put in sort of. I think everyone's doing a practical joke on me by putting me in these big heels to the point where one of the writers, Asha Ward, shout out. She puts, like, in the stage direction, like, Sarah exits like, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. Because that's my heel shuffle, like, click, clack, clack, click, click, click, clack. Because I can't walk on a heel. I'm, like, clapping around and so something happened to my feet where I think one of my toes. I have no medical basis for this. I did not go to a doctor. I did not look this up.

[Amy Poehler]

Interesting.

[Sarah Sherman]

I think that one of my toes is like. It's a toe.

[Amy Poehler]

I like that we're talking about body stuff right away. I love it.

[Sarah Sherman]

You asked for it.

[Amy Poehler]

I know I did. I asked for it.

[Sarah Sherman]

I don't know if I should look this up in my head. One of my toes is just. The bones are loose, but inside of the toe sack.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I have a whole thing about, you know, like.

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, my gosh. You have a whole thing about.

[Amy Poehler]

But your feet. Now we're really giving it for the pervs who love feet. But your feet. Your feet health are very important, like, now. Cause I'm getting to the age where I'm starting to read, like, barely 21.

[Sarah Sherman]

You're getting to the age of barely 21. Barely legal.

[Amy Poehler]

Always that. What do you. What needs to stay healthy for you to, like, survive the next feet and feet is a big one. Like, meaning you gotta be able. Take. Take care of your feet. Have good balance. Do you have good balance? Can you balance on one leg?

[Sarah Sherman]

I'm saying this, like, so cockily, I feel like.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, yeah, right on. You did it.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I don't have. I'm gonna say something again. This is more feet thing. I have a huge arch.

[Amy Poehler]

That's very. So do I.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's crazy.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's good to have it.

[Mitra Juhari]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

Because not only does it make your feet look nice when you want to eventually sell your feet picks which we're all going to be there.

[Sarah Sherman]

I have tried, actually, and I have failed.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, we're gonna get into that. Sarah Sherman is here. She is our first SNL current SNL cast member on the show.

[Sarah Sherman]

I wonder if I have all the scoop. Do I have all the scoop?

[Amy Poehler]

Well, you're a vet. Like, how many years have you been on the show.

[Sarah Sherman]

Five.

[Amy Poehler]

Five. But you just wrapped snl. You have a comedy special out. It's incredible. I cannot wait to talk about it. It's insane.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's quite insane.

[Amy Poehler]

It's quite insane. Right now you are in that, like, school's out, summertime. Like, you just finished your last show last week. How are you feeling? How's your energy level? Where you at?

[Sarah Sherman]

I feel like I had. So when you hosted this season in the very beginning.

[Amy Poehler]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

And not to suck your butt, but everybody goes, who's your favorite host? I go. Everyone goes, Amy Poehler. Like, immediately.

[Amy Poehler]

That's such a.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I had a lot of questions for you. I was like, what?

[Amy Poehler]

I felt. I wish, like, like every. It's so funny. As a cast member, you have such an experience, and then when you're a host, you have the experience, which is like, you just wish you could immediately do it again. Yes, immediately. And I was just saying to someone, my favorite times are always the in between times.

[Sarah Sherman]

Interesting.

[Amy Poehler]

I love the, like, the joking around between scenes. I like the, like, the beginning of the week.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

The show is like, the event, but I tend to remember and, like, the, like, weird middle times. And I have such a fond memory of me, you, and Bowen. I know. Sitting on a couch and really like, getting to know you in a way that I don't think I had in a fast amount of time.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yes.

[Sarah Sherman]

Laughing non stop.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. And a lot of giggles.

[Sarah Sherman]

A lot of giggling. Laughing.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for saying that. Okay, so I was your favorite host. Great. I appreciate that.

[Sarah Sherman]

My favorite, like, I wish people saw the table read like, that is when I am laughing, I'm like. And that was my favorite part of your week because. Okay, I'm gonna. The butt sucking is gonna commence.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm usually doing that.

[Sarah Sherman]

Okay, good. Well, this is gonna be a good hangout.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm gonna try to receive

[Ad Read / Announcer]

obvious.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's like, obviously you're good at snl. Like, obviously. But seeing how many sketches are at table read, like 40. You have a different funny thing. You were doing fun new character voices for every sketch. And it's like, how many of those were cold reads and you were just like. Like the doll with the eye. Oh, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

That was a good sketch. Seth wrote that.

[Sarah Sherman]

Laughing.

[Amy Poehler]

He submitted a sketch for us, and we didn't do it.

[Sarah Sherman]

I try to watch so that I can organically laugh if I'm not in a sketch. I try not to read those sketches ahead of time.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, interesting. Okay.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

So I watch the whole table read,

[Amy Poehler]

like, but that's Very generous of you because you're actually providing an audience which people don't usually do. Like they, you know, everyone's in their own world at those read throughs and everyone's tired and everyone's like waiting for their stuff to get on. And so the fact that you could even do that means that you're like trying to actually stay present. Like you're a generous person and well,

[Sarah Sherman]

I think it's also a sucking butt

[Amy Poehler]

right back at you.

[Sarah Sherman]

I'll take it. We'll human Centipede ourselves all the way. Centipede. I mean, come on. That's a good trilogy. There's three.

[Amy Poehler]

I cannot believe that movie was made.

[Sarah Sherman]

The movies. There's three.

[Amy Poehler]

I know there's three.

[Sarah Sherman]

There are three. And do you need me to talk

[Amy Poehler]

about the differences between some reason Because I am so aghast at that movie. I get it constantly on my TikTok.

[Sarah Sherman]

Is it having a resurgence? Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

There's like a lot of clips about. Or like I just keep watching. Right. Because I'm horrified by it. Okay, sorry, I digress.

[Sarah Sherman]

You are making it happen. I'm gonna use your podcast platform to do something. Tom six. No.

[Amy Poehler]

If you are absolutely not a human centipede.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

No.

[Amy Poehler]

Do not. We do not need a human.

[Sarah Sherman]

I'll do it. I will show.

[Amy Poehler]

She won't. She will not. I will not allow her.

[Sarah Sherman]

Absolutely not. Black and white, full color.

[Amy Poehler]

Absolutely not. We don't need it. Not now.

[Sarah Sherman]

Some of the best, most important cinema that's been made.

[Amy Poehler]

It's disgusting. And Tom, you are a freak. Okay. But you're. You're on your summer break.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

So you, like, what do you do for your summer?

[Sarah Sherman]

What are you doing? So I'm experimenting with something this summer. I don't understand how anyone can do anything while SNL is happening.

[Mitra Juhari]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

I feel like. Were you doing this?

[Amy Poehler]

No, I can't. Well, I even said because I was all consuming.

[Sarah Sherman]

When, when? When I even said to you because you did work birth and it was about you being the sketch when you hosted about you being pregnant, giving birth to work.

[Amy Poehler]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I was like, okay, so this actually was your life.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

The fact that you were pregnant there. I can't even work there. Like if my contact is too dry.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know what your life is and if you ever want to carry a child. But pregnancy is wild and funny and fun because are completely different body. And you love body stuff and you're. You scare a lot of people by

[Sarah Sherman]

walking around and it scares me.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, it's scary.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I'm like, what do you mean? They're moving my organs around inside me. They have to stay where they are.

[Amy Poehler]

So sci fi that there's a body inside of you that you're never alone.

[Sarah Sherman]

I can't even imagine. Like, my body can't even take being at the job Regular. Not that pregnant isn't regular. New normal.

[Amy Poehler]

New normal.

[Sarah Sherman]

Hey, I respect you. Watch it. But like, like, if I have like a bad burrito and I'm like, bloated, I'm like, I can't write well, this

[Amy Poehler]

is what I mean is like the idea of like everyone knowing when someone has a stomachache. That's new.

[Sarah Sherman]

That. That is new.

[Amy Poehler]

That's new.

[Sarah Sherman]

You know what I don't like? And I'm. I'll say it. I'll stand on my two feet, buckle my shoe and say I don't like it. It's like hot girls with ibs. It's like, I'm not proud.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

Of the diarrhea that I have every single day chronically.

[Amy Poehler]

And as we're about seven minutes in, we got to diarrhea.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

I was hoping we would.

[Sarah Sherman]

Well, to the morning.

[Amy Poehler]

I just think that, like, more and more there's an acceptance that everyone has a different way to work within the system. And I would say that you being on the show is also, I think, another example of like how the show has smartly remembered that it is a variety show with a million different voices and different styles. And so there just was, I think, a little bit more. It was just like a more homogenous same way to do it. Same people writing it, same people on it, and it's just keeps changing.

[Sarah Sherman]

I actually think about this a lot because I'm like, this is not even to say it self deprecatingly said that with an accent. I don't think I would have gotten on the show during your era.

[Amy Poehler]

No, because. Yeah, no, that's not controversial.

[Sarah Sherman]

But I would have. I would like to be a more talented sketch performer.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, let's.

[Sarah Sherman]

I find myself to be quite limited. Oh, okay. Do you know what I'm saying?

[Amy Poehler]

Well, okay, let's.

[Sarah Sherman]

So I'm thinking, lucky stars, I was not born. You know, I was born when I was born.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, Sarah Sherman, let's go back.

[Sarah Sherman]

No, we're going back.

[Amy Poehler]

We're going back to Long island.

[Sarah Sherman]

We're going back 18 years. Well, I'm 18 now, so.

[Amy Poehler]

Just turned 18. Okay. Caroline, Carrie. Negative. So you're in Long island as a little.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah, as a little.

[Amy Poehler]

As a little. Your mom Is public school teacher. Yeah, so was mine. And your dad runs a children's clothing company. Fascinating. I mean, like, of course you love clothes. Of course you dress.

[Sarah Sherman]

No, but I'm like, addicted.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Sarah Sherman]

It is his fault.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, so he's so. He is like. He's like a garmento.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah, he is like, old school Jewish schmata business. So it's like everyone saw Uncut Gems was like the diamond district in Manhattan. It's all those Jewish guys running around. Two blocks over is the garment district. And shmata is Yiddish for rags. So it's like all the same kind of Jewish guys running around with.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

Long island seems like it has produced some really complicated, interesting characters.

[Sarah Sherman]

Well, I saw Uncut Gems and I go, huh? That's about my dad. Just a vibe.

[Mitra Juhari]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

So I stalked the writer, and I was like, you wrote a movie about my dad? And he goes, well, this is actually quite interesting because I'm from your neighborhood. I went to a high school near your high school. And my dad is in Shmata. So, yeah, I did. Whoa. I know Long Island.

[Amy Poehler]

What does fifth grade Sarah look like?

[Sarah Sherman]

So annoying. I was like. Because I was like, the clothes thing. Like, my dad was in Shmata. I grew up around clothes. So, like, I was addicted to the Nanny Golden Girls and, like, my big thing in middle school, when I started doing middle school plays, Ms. Orange, who ran the costume department, would let me kind of read the costume closet.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, this makes sense. And you were into that.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

We always speak to people who know our guests really well. We get a question from them, and we talk to Mitra. So Mitra gave us a. She's the best.

[Sarah Sherman]

What did you do, girl?

[Amy Poehler]

And she gave us a couple really good questions. So throughout this interview, I'm gonna pepper them in because of course, Mitra, good girl. Giving us so many good questions.

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, I'm sure. I'm sure the list is long.

[Amy Poehler]

And this Ms. Orange reminds me of one of those questions, which is

[Mitra Juhari]

you

[Amy Poehler]

did a lot of musical theater as a kid.

[Mitra Juhari]

I did.

[Amy Poehler]

And you took liberty with some parts.

[Mitra Juhari]

I did.

[Sarah Sherman]

And Mitra, you know what you have done? Mitra knows what she has done.

[Amy Poehler]

She's helping out her friend.

[Sarah Sherman]

I just, I. Let me explain myself. I'm defend myself here. I always wanted to be a comedian. Like, grew up watching.

[Amy Poehler]

Why do you think? Funny family.

[Sarah Sherman]

Funny family. Okay. Yeah, really funny family. Funny dad. Funny, like, you know, ex love. Love expression was like, mean bullying funny. Was addicted to, like, Seinfeld, snl, brothers and sisters, younger brother, also funny. But I Was kind of like a bully, but it was funny.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

So you know, that's when bullies were funny. I know, right? And I had a big science room skeleton in my room. My parents were always like, why'd you end up like this? You're normal. And I'm like, you got me a giant science room skeleton. When I was like, you know, my brother was like three on April. I loved April Fool's Day because that also felt like the comedian's day to shine. It's like clown's Christmas. He was like three. And I put this giant life size science room skeleton in his bed and he woke up crying, you know.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

So it's like stuff like that. I loved April. My. My bat Mitzvah was on April Fool's Day. Whoa.

[Amy Poehler]

What was the theme?

[Sarah Sherman]

Did you have April Fool's?

[Amy Poehler]

It was April Fools.

[Sarah Sherman]

And the invitation was snakes in a can that I hand delivered to everyone's house.

[Amy Poehler]

You learn so much about people when they talk about their bar. And you really do. Like, Ike Barryholes was in here and his was like, I like Ike. Like, he was running. He was like. He was like running for, you know, president or whatever. You learn so much about what. What their hopes and dreams are amazing. Snakes in a can and criminals on every seat.

[Sarah Sherman]

And like, you know, you're on in bat mitzvah. You're like on the bima, the stage at the synagogue. And I had a wrapped audience of like 80 year old old bald Jewish guys. I was going off. That was my first. Like, I crushed at my babitzba.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God. Do you remember any of your material?

[Sarah Sherman]

Of course. It's like. Cause it was my first, you know, I was. I've been. What is it? Chasing the dragon or whatever ever since like the high was. I went to a very conservative synagogue.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Sarah Sherman]

And it's like the service is like eight hours intense. Hebrew. I didn't know a word I was saying. And they like. And now the sisterhood of the temple would like to present you with your gift. And like, these two conservative women came up with candlesticks. I go, great. Just what I always wanted. My mom was in the front going. And then not to brag. It was kind of the talk of the town for like a second. I bet it was kind of like everyone was like, kill them.

[Mitra Juhari]

Great.

[Amy Poehler]

Turning to a camera that's not there. Okay, so what liberties did you take as a musical theater kid? What? How did you interpret the parts?

[Sarah Sherman]

You're so evil.

[Amy Poehler]

Is this a non PC story?

[Sarah Sherman]

So I just wanted to be a comedian. I wanted to be a performer. So it's like I would do any play. Like, I would do. Like, I couldn't sing or dance, but I'd do the musicals because I just wanted to do it. And I could never get a part because it wasn't good. But I was like, in with the costume closet. Ms. Orange would let me. Like, that's. I got addicted to like, 80s little like sequin jackets because like Grandma Yetta on the Nanny would wear them. And that's. She let Ms. Orange let me keep the jacket. Sweet. I know the one that looked exactly like Grandma, yet a sequin jacket. And so she let me kind of. I didn't have a part. I was in the chorus and into the woods.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

Which was behind a screen.

[Amy Poehler]

You were in the woods?

[Sarah Sherman]

I was in the woods in silhouette.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure.

[Sarah Sherman]

So I was just basically a little outline.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

But I was in the costume closet. I found a red and black lace gown with a fur hand muff.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I went to the director and I said, so this is my costume. I am. My character is the Russian Tsarina. And so I'm just. I didn't really think I even knew what that was. I didn't have any words. I didn't have an accent, nothing. And so in the playbill, it would be like all the leads listed and then like the chorus, a whole list of all the faceless people behind the scrim. And then Sarah Sherman will be playing the Russian Tsarmiana.

[Amy Poehler]

That's incredible. You created an. But it's such a. I mean, that is the thing about you, Sarah, is. And like, we'll get to it with snl, but like, there is an innate confidence about you that. And I say that because I want you to know, to me, that's like what distinguishes people on SNL right away.

[Sarah Sherman]

Sure.

[Amy Poehler]

Whether the content doesn't matter. It's like, are we worried about you when we're watching you? I'm never worried about you anytime you're ever performing. And it's not like cocky. Cause you're super self deprecating all the time. You're very honest.

[Mitra Juhari]

You're very.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, your feelings are right up front and center. But there is a confidence that I feel like you just were born with this idea of grabbing things and wanting them.

[Sarah Sherman]

I think I am so used to bombing. Even though it sounds. Sounds like I crushed my first time at bat. I'm so. It's like. And everything that has. Are every bad thing could. That could happen to me on stage. Has already happened kind of thing. So it's like, I don't even know if it's like, confidence. It's like, I'm gonna crush this right now. It's like, what. What more could happen? But even the Madison Square Garden. What more could happen?

[Amy Poehler]

But ambivalence is confidence too. Yeah, sure. It is. Like, this idea of, like, I'm just gonna float a little bit. A little dissociation, too. But, like, I'm gonna float above this moment so that you're gonna have to come find me. I'm not gonna, like, be like, like me, like me, like me.

[Sarah Sherman]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

That's the difference. But you went to Northwestern.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And. Oh, this is what I find so interesting when you talk about, like, I want to have more experience in sketch and improv. You try out for, like, the sketch group. Don't get in. Yep.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yep. Which was like, I was. Is devastating.

[Amy Poehler]

That's devastating.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I had tried stand up. Like, I dabbled a little bit when I was. I like, going to. Doing an open mic at like, a barbecue restaurant. Cause, you know, couldn't do a bar yet. Like, I dabbled a little, but that was my first big, like, you know, all I wanted to do is be a comedian. And it. When someone was like. My peers were like, no. I was like, are you kidding me?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And so I'm full of. I could be motivated by spite.

[Amy Poehler]

But then you start a comedy show in Chicago called Hell Trap Nightmare.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

How would you describe that show?

[Sarah Sherman]

Like the first to.

[Amy Poehler]

I like that you rolled your eyes.

[Sarah Sherman]

Like, how could I even begin?

[Mitra Juhari]

This is the.

[Sarah Sherman]

The first show is my friend's basement. We were. Of course it was. Chicago has like an amazing DIY electronic noise, crazy performance art comedy scene. And like, you know, there. There was like, comedy at like, there's all this improv in Chicago and whatever. But it's like the funniest people to me were these like, like freaks.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

So, like, my friend Mike Sugarman was performing as under this noise moniker, sh. And the first Hell Trap Nightmight Mint. I had a stroke. The first Hell Trap Nightmare was in my friend's basement. The poster was like, a woman's face was see through and you could see her teeth and brains.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure.

[Sarah Sherman]

Because I was like, you know, that's the trigger warning.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And, you know, I hosted. I did like 10 bad minutes of standup and then my friend Shug came out in a trench coat, in a wig, sunglasses, flashed everyone. And he had Chizo taped to his dick and was, you know, smashing light bulbs. But that was music, of course.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I think I did a. I don't even know what the. These bits were. Like, it was, like, a stretch to call it comedy.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, well, it was like performance art, right? Yeah, but with. But with, like, the intent was to

[Sarah Sherman]

be funny, but when I. I chugged a can of. Of room temperature clam chowder, I think the joke was literally like, oh, you like a woman who's a tall drink of water. I'm a tall can of clam chowder. And then chug the whole thing. And everyone's like, cool. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

You know, it's. We don't need to look back on our bits and explain them. They were just, like, moments. They were moments, babe. You were experimenting, of course, but you were. You were like. I mean, I. I think it's one of the things that you've brought to the show. Like, just your. Your aesthetic, not only outside, but, like, your influences. Like, you are very, very interested in all types of media and art.

[Sarah Sherman]

I am.

[Amy Poehler]

We talk about in your special, like. Like, Paula Poundstone fucked spongebob. You also talk about, like, yeah, literally

[Sarah Sherman]

makes sense, by the way. And gave birth to what? Sometimes I just say stuff, and I'm like, it's going in.

[Amy Poehler]

But also Ren and Stimpy and, like, Pee Wee. Like, what were your. Like, what kind of stuff were you like, when you think about all that stuff that jammed in your head when you were younger, what jam? What got in there?

[Sarah Sherman]

I think, like, I always. I loved doing art and making stuff, and I also loved performing comedy. And for some reason, I didn't know that you could do both at the same time. Like, when I had started, so it was, like, 2015. Like, you know, there's not, like, the Internet in the way it is now. Like, I didn't really realized I could blend art. Like, I was doing all the posters for my show, like, because it's like, it was very, you know, raunchy blue, like, horrific comedy. So I'd make the posters be, like, lungs with nipples on it. I'd be like, you know what the show's gonna be.

[Mitra Juhari]

Whatever. Right?

[Sarah Sherman]

The letters are like a tampon with poop on it. Sorry. I wasn't that creative, but I was like, oh, that was like, a trigger warning for the show. Awesome. My mom, by the way, to my special taping, wore my old Hell Trap nightmare shirt, which was a uterus with ovary eyeballs and a severed finger shoved up into the. And a smiling, like, open, gashed vagina with, like, a butthole. Would you Guys, do insert picture here. My mom, Shara.

[Amy Poehler]

How does. What do your parents think? Like, how do they. It is so intense. It's intense.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's intense.

[Amy Poehler]

And I don't mean to be misogynistic because, like, if it's a man and it's. They get a different pass. But like, your stuff. No, as a parent, because your parents love you and they love that you're. They love the work. How do they, like, do they invite their friends to your show? They.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes, they.

[Amy Poehler]

They're down.

[Mitra Juhari]

It is.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's literally like Paul Schrader hardcore. The. The. No, I don't turn it off. When he has to watch his daughter doing porn. It is that. But no, turn it off. But they love it.

[Amy Poehler]

They love it.

[Sarah Sherman]

They are really supportive. And I do think. I hate to say it. I think that's like, what. The confidence is a little.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, I. I think that that's true. I. I didn't want to say it, but like, I'm learning about like, loving parents privilege. Like, if you have parents who are like, you're great, you, that really creates a scaffolding for the rest of your life. Obviously, when you try things where you're like, well, I guess my parents will still love me.

[Sarah Sherman]

No, I.

[Mitra Juhari]

There.

[Sarah Sherman]

There's not a threat of losing my family.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And like, maybe this is tmi, but I did a bit. I've done a lot of like, updates where I'm in a big animal costume. And that is Lauren's idea.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

Because I think I'm like. He's like, what am I going to do with her? She's crazy. She's like a wild animal. Uhoh. I'll just make her be a wild animal. I don't think people know that. He pitches bit like, he was like, you're going to play a squirrel? I'm like, okay, whatever you want. You're my boss. Okay, boss. He said like after I did, I think a squirrel or some fucking animal. He said, when you did that, I could tell you were loved as a child. And I was like, clocked.

[Amy Poehler]

Clocked, Clocked.

[Sarah Sherman]

He has very. Oh yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

I remember being like, oh yeah, yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

He, as the kids would say, he can read you really fast for filth fill. This episode is brought to you by ebay. Lately, more and more people have been talking about selling on ebay. And we can see why. Everyone has stuff that no longer fits their lives. And selling on ebay is actually really easy. Just snap a few photos, write a description and set a price. Suddenly the stuff that's just been sitting around is in front of millions of buyers already searching for what's next. Find what you love, Sell what you don't on ebay.

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[Amy Poehler]

This episode is brought to you by All Free Clear Detergent. Are you trying to be a bit more mindful of the things you buy for you and your family? You know, reading the labels, checking the ingredients, trying to understand what all those letters, numbers and long words mean? I get it. Sometimes we don't really know what's in the things we buy and we want to feel good about our choices. So when it comes to laundry detergent, choose allfree clear. 100% free from dyes and perfumes. All Free Clear detergent uses only essential ingredients that tackle tough stains and odors. And it's gentle on skin. It's a powerful clean you can feel good about. So go on, pick up a bottle of All Free Clear for your next laundry day. This episode is brought to you by Pure Leaf. Picture this. It's 3pm the day started. Strong spirits were high, goals were set. And then something happens. Your energy evaporated. Your motivation clinging on for dear life. Bring yourself back with Pure Leaf, a real brewed, naturally caffeinated iced tea designed to help you take on what's next with bold flavor and just enough natural caffeine to snap back into it without the jitters. Time for a tea break. Time for a Pure Leaf. Okay, so you have this, this way of performing and then you auditioned for SNL first. When you're really young, don't get in. What was that like? Well, like, was it a real audition? Did you go into the studio?

[Sarah Sherman]

Okay, it was Sharna Halpern from IO Shout out girl.

[Amy Poehler]

Shout out. Sharna. Let's talk About Sharna for one second. Sharna Halpern ran Improv Olympic, a theater in Chicago now called I.O. cause the Olympics sued and made them change their name.

[Sarah Sherman]

The Olympics.

[Amy Poehler]

The Olympics, that's right. And Sharna was the director, who in my case, just put me on an improv team, said, hey, there's a woman named Tina. You're gonna really like her. You guys, Sharna arranged that marriage. And Sharna was in charge of so many of us and, like, launched so many careers.

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, my God. I didn't know that.

[Amy Poehler]

So Halpern, Sharna got you in front of the. Sharna. She's always had an eye.

[Sarah Sherman]

She knows.

[Amy Poehler]

That's great.

[Sarah Sherman]

Because I just wanted to do comedy. I couldn't. Couldn't get into the college thing. And so I was like, oh, I'll go do it in Chicago. Stuff. Stuff in Chicago. And I was like, kind of a bad fit. I'm like, not again. How? I feel self conscious about my limited range. It's like you kind of need a little bit of range for improv. And I was kind of not a good fit there. And I would also wear, like. They would be like, I'd have to get talkings, too. It's like, hey, you're wearing a big shirt with the brain on it. It's a little distracting. I'm like, fair. I was like, I'm kind of a bad fit there.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

But she was like, you're going to do the snl, Aud. And at that time, I was like, I was 22. And I was like, that's a bad idea because I was doing these with the penis. Whatever.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

I was like, I just didn't. And she was. She was like, you're going to do that. She's like, you're going to be great. Like, if you need help with it. And I was like, well, everyone tells you I didn't know anything. And, you know, everyone's like, oh, you're. You're five minutes has to be, like, characters and impressions or whatever. So I did that. It was obviously terrible. Like, it was just like I was trying to do what I thought the assignment was.

[Amy Poehler]

Sure.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I bombed really badly. I wore, like, my. I remember what I wore. I wore. I know this is. We're actually finding out. I'm a clothes addict. I. All my memories are marked by, like, my outfit.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, I would say that you're. You, like, work from the outside in.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah, I do.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

Actually, this is a problem at snl.

[Amy Poehler]

All right, well, now it's time now for Season Six.

[Mitra Juhari]

Six.

[Amy Poehler]

Inside out. Work from the inside out. I'm trying.

[Mitra Juhari]

It's really hard.

[Amy Poehler]

Would love to see you just in a. I would love to see you in a neutral dress, a slip dress. Hair natural. No makeup.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Leaves flowing.

[Sarah Sherman]

Hello, children. Your homework's late. Big recurring character. Your homework's late, I think. Can somebody write that down? It's amazing, but this is Lauren's big thing with me. He's like, just. Let's just. Just get it to. And I'm like, for s. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

It's okay. It's okay. Don't. Don't beat yourself up. I mean, it's a lot to ask.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's a lot. It's hard.

[Amy Poehler]

It's hard. It's hard to show any. Especially when you're. It's like playing with. It's like practicing with your backhand. Like, you're really. Your forehand's really strong, and you're like, I can score. And someone's like, now hit it with your backhand. You're like, now I know season three.

[Sarah Sherman]

I'm 33. You don't think I was trying? Yes. And I try. Like, you know, Ashley Padilla started two years ago, and I'm like, oh, my God. Like, character. And like, everyone. Every character she has is, like an internal world. And, like, the jokes come kind of easy to her because she has, like, insight. She, like, knows what the character wants. And there's, like, there's a motivation there. And I feel like I've been doing it all wrong for, like, six fucking years because I'm like, what if the wig is weird? And then you have to come, like, writing the joke? Because it's so much harder because you're. You're, like, forcing it from the other way around. It's outside in, so it's a little harder.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm gonna say something right now. I think you're not afraid of the failure. I think you're afraid of the success. Cause I actually think you can do it. I actually think you are a good actor and you can do it. You're afraid of being successful at it.

[Sarah Sherman]

So, like, wants to cast me. I'm not afraid of being an actor. I am free. People say that thing where they're like, oh, my God, you're a stand up. That's so brave. I'm like, it's cowardice. It is true. Y. It is true cowardice. Like, I. You know, so many things, even in my special are like, people are like, oh, my God. You're, like, loose and riffing. That's all written down. You think I would riff during my HBO comedy festival? No, I have a pre planned bit. I'm like, I'm gonna find someone in the crowd wearing glasses. And I go, why'd you wear glasses to the show? So you can wear your prepubescent Said it wrong.

[Amy Poehler]

It's okay, we'll edit it. Here we go. Don't edit it.

[Sarah Sherman]

Show my failure. I'm actually a vulner. Sn.

[Mitra Juhari]

My God.

[Amy Poehler]

You should make your own blooper, vulnerable, blooper reel.

[Sarah Sherman]

I'm showing my pit sweat. Hey, guys, why did you wear your glasses to the show? So you could see my prepubescent body better, you pervert. Everyone goes, oh, you think I thought of that on the spot? No, I wrote it down eight years ago and I've been saying it every day since. Sucks.

[Amy Poehler]

I feel like once you get the confidence of knowing that you're not getting fired from the show, basically, like, which is true. Like, you're at that point. Congrats, babe. You're at that point.

[Sarah Sherman]

I was crazy this season a little bit.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, you might get fired from something. You say for sure, but not for lack of, like, we don't need you.

[Sarah Sherman]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

But yes, you might get fired. Yeah, yeah. I'd be saying, yeah. HR did want me to talk to you. Yeah, yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I'm sorry for whatever did and who I touched.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I have to say, like, what I find so impressive about you is you have managed to maintain yourself, your POV and your sense of what you think is funny.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And you worked within the system, I. E. Like, you coming at Colin and update is a perfect example where you're like, okay, I'm gonna use this structure. I'm gonna hit Colin, who's, like, the ultimate, like, alpha, straight white punching bag, successful punching bag, and he can handle it.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And why it's so satisfying to watch, because to me, it also. And you do this a lot in your comedy, especially in your special where you, like, play around with what I like to call, like, the millennial threat, like, this idea that someone's gonna get something wrong.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

But people are very scared to screw up.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And I have. Of course. We all have.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

But you are, like, pressuring the powers that be that it's very exhilarating to watch because obviously it's also talking about, like, cancer culture, like, misogyny and, like, patriarchy and all that stuff, but it's not. It's just funny.

[Sarah Sherman]

Right. And it's, like, as mean as I'd Be to Colin, calling him a pedophile. Whatever, whatever. I'm really mean to myself.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

So it's. You know. But even that, it's like, I got lucky on the show because I had joined the show as a complete act. I was shocked that I was there. All my friends, like, the inside joke was like, okay, Sarah's gonna show up as a witch waiters and go, want some water, ma'? Am? And they got fired. You know, that was a big joke with all my friends who are apparently, like, love me and are nice to me or whatever. But so it was like. So I was just happy to be there, and I wasn't expecting anything to happen. Like, I was writing sketches, but I didn't really know. I didn't even have final draft until midnight on writing night. Like, I didn't know about any of this. And then. So I wasn't getting any sketches on the show, but I didn't really care. But then Colin was like, why don't you come on update and do like yourself? And I didn't even know that you could do that.

[Amy Poehler]

There is some version of getting known on the show, and it doesn't stamp you forever, but, like, where people see you as a person to face.

[Sarah Sherman]

But I wouldn't have done that if he didn't say so, because it felt, like, presumptuous or something. Like, I really was there to be, like, a good sport and just do whatever the job was.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. But I just want to gently say to you that you should just take credit for that success, because even though it wasn't your original idea, perhaps we all know there were collaborate. We're all collaborating, working together, but you have to deliver. One other thing I want to ask you about, and then we'll jump off of snl. But Louis, let's talk about Louis Zakarian.

[Sarah Sherman]

What is there to say?

[Amy Poehler]

Louis runs the makeup department, and he is incredible.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's crazy.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, let's talk about him for a second and what he's made for you.

[Sarah Sherman]

What hasn't he? He does it. Prosthetics and makeup takes time. And, like, I think I've seen people describe the SNL makeup experience as a pit crew. There's, like, eight people putting on a bald cap at once. I've moderated Comic Con panels for him where it's like, it'll be a guy in a grogu suit or whatever being like, sir, what's your fastest bald cap application? And he goes, two minutes. And you hear the crowd go,

[Amy Poehler]

yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

You see, like, every X Men Character in, like, a blue Man.

[Amy Poehler]

Like, they should make the. They should make a TV show. Like the Pit.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

Make it in the makeup room of Louis room. Because the way that they, like, in the Pit, the way they, like, save people by, like, stabbing them in the heart and, like, like, that's how Louis has to do makeup. Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

He's ripping a bird beak off and putting googly eyes on my eyes. He's get out there. But by the way, he. He's having so much fun. Like, he never says no. He's having so much fun. He films the whole thing. And it's like, we could have, like, 45 seconds to get me looking from Jessica rabbit into, like, Ms. Grinch or whatever. And he still is, like, one thing Selby. And it's, like, hilarious. He, like, gets off on the thrill of it.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

He.

[Sarah Sherman]

He, like my favorite. We did a thing where it was, like, it was supposed to look like me and Michael B. Jordan got stuck on a roller coaster, and it, like, it blew our, like, hair and mouth open. And I was like. I was like, can you make it look like I have a speculum in my mouth? Like, blowing my mouth out? But you don't see any pl. Like, it just has to look like it's naturally like that. And he doesn't say nothing.

[Amy Poehler]

Right. Well, that's what an emergency room doctor is like. We'll see what we can do.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah. Let the baby die. I don't think so. And it's the same stakes for a comedy show.

[Amy Poehler]

It's the same stakes.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's the same stakes.

[Amy Poehler]

And that's. If there's any takeaway, it's that what you do is as important as people that work in the yard.

[Sarah Sherman]

No one banged their pots and pans for me.

[Amy Poehler]

Notice this is another metric question. If you had unlimited funds and you could make any disgusting creation, what would it be? I don't know if I want to ask you this question. Yeah, maybe let's say on snl. So we have to say that it passes. Like, you have, like.

[Sarah Sherman]

Cause there have been. That isn't. This is another reason why I. Working outside in. I love that. Taking that. And I'm gonna write my book about that.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Sarah Sherman]

So you have fun with your book. I'm taking outside in. It's like, it can be such a hindrance because, like, me and Dan Bullough had, like, this idea for, like, maybe a sketch that's, like, at, like, a facial spa or something. And when take our sheet masks off, it just pulls the whole front of our face off. And for years, I. Me and Louie have been like, how are we gonna do that? Cause, like, when I first started the show, I was in, like, one sketch every six and a half months. So, like, was it. But now it's like, maybe. Maybe I'll be playing Trump right beforehand. Who knows? James, I'm coming for your breakfast nachos. So it's like, if I had unlimited fun ones, it would be like, I would be able to do something like that really fast with Lou. Like, I just want to take my whole face off.

[Amy Poehler]

Why do you want to.

[Sarah Sherman]

I don't know. It's really weird, and it's not normal.

[Amy Poehler]

I.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

It.

[Amy Poehler]

Is it like, when you say that, my brain pictures it, and I'm like,

[Sarah Sherman]

oh, Sarah, Sarah, you just made your life so much harder.

[Amy Poehler]

But I know I'm. But if that is just. It also is, like, there is. Is a. There's such a incredible performance art artist. Like. Like, you have a Cindy Sherman vibe. You have a. Like, you have a gr. You have a. Like a L. A.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

A.

[Amy Poehler]

A dance with the grotesque that's super interesting. And it's always like, what level is, like, gross. Like, what does. What grosses you. Does anything gross you out?

[Sarah Sherman]

The other day, literally, I like. You know how people, like, chew on their, like, sleeves?

[Amy Poehler]

Or like, oh, yeah, like, wet, wet

[Sarah Sherman]

fabric on my teeth. Like, I got grays on. On the train on the tooth with my own sleeve. And it, like, gave you a chill. That's like my nails on a chalkboard is like, stuff like that.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. But any kind of, like, your face peeling off, you're down.

[Sarah Sherman]

All good, all good, all good.

[Mitra Juhari]

And.

[Amy Poehler]

And then my last question in that SNL space is, because we all have them, what is your SNL stress dreams look like?

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, I actually wrote a sketch about this.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay. Incredible.

[Sarah Sherman]

It is. Oh, my God. I wish I could remember the sketch because it was like, you know, when you say up all night, you're like, I'm getting a Nobel Peace Prize for what I just wrote.

[Amy Poehler]

Classic sketch.

[Sarah Sherman]

Classic sketch.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

They always win the Nobel Peace Prize. I'm like, if I read. I read it. Wrote it two years ago. I'm sure if I read it today, I'd be like, what? You know what I mean?

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Sarah Sherman]

My stress dream is always writing night.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay?

[Sarah Sherman]

And it's always. I get to. I'm at writing night, and I'm. The clock says it's like, midnight or one in the morning, and I don't have anything yet. And I'm going from room to room with, like, My tin can being like, with me. And everyone's like, no, I'm already busy. I already have my thing for the week. And I'm going door to door down the hallway, and the hallway gets longer. Very. Okay, Christopher Nolan. Don't steal this for one of your little projects.

[Amy Poehler]

Odyssey 2. Odyssey 2, the human centipede.

[Sarah Sherman]

Don't tempt me with a good time, Amy Poehler. And the hallway just gets longer and longer. And I'm like, does anyone want to write with me? And that's like. That's what I'm the most anxious about all the time. It's like bombing on live TV is one thing. Bombing. Trying to get someone to write a sketch with you is a fate worse than death. I have one more stress dream that was my first year.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Sarah Sherman]

Which was, there's a prop toilet on the floor of 8A. This. I have this dream two times. There's a prop toilet on the floor of 8H. I know it's not hooked up to any pipes. I know it's a prop and I shit in it anyway. And everybody's looking at me like the last shot. And Murder on the Oriental Express. There's like a shot where they're, like, all looking down at this dead body. And you see the POV of the dead body looking back at everyone. And I see everyone looking at me going, the toilet's not hot to anything. Why'd you do that? And I'm going, I know. I have no idea what happened happen. And my Jungian dream analyst at the time said that when you poop in a dream grouse, it's. It's like you're putting work out there and you're embarrassed. I worked hard. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And also you have a Jungian dream analysis. Do you do a lot of therapy?

[Sarah Sherman]

I do. Many times a week.

[Amy Poehler]

Oo, fun. Doesn't seem to be working online or in purse.

[Sarah Sherman]

Online. On the.

[Amy Poehler]

You're on the couch?

[Sarah Sherman]

Yep, I'm lying down on the couch. And the whole time. Yep.

[Amy Poehler]

Whoa.

[Sarah Sherman]

I'm doing, like, analysis. I'm call. I'm doing analysis.

[Amy Poehler]

That's old school.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah. And just. I just noticed recently because I don't look at my therapist, and sometimes I'll

[Amy Poehler]

be like this male or female therapist.

[Sarah Sherman]

Of course it's a man. It's not fake fixed. It's a man. It's not working. A woman would fix it like this. And I said something and I heard his laugh behind me, and I went like, he wasn't. He forgot he was there. Yeah. And I was like, Stop. I don't know why that was. So I immediately. I was like. I never looked at him. And I was like, oh, my. Get it together.

[Amy Poehler]

You're making me think about, like, my stress dreams for SNL were less about, like, will you guys. You know, like, where. Where can I get in here and write with people? Or like, oh, no, my, my, my. The shit in my toilet you guys don't like, which is your work. Your work. But mine was disappointing. Mine was about disappointing, like, powerful figures. It's a very Gen X, Y stress dream. So mine was always. Mine was always about. I would often have it, which is. I'd hear Jenna Rossitano as we talked about the great ad calling me, and I would realize, oh, my God, I'm not on stage. Like, I'm missing my cue. And I had it more than once where I'd be running down from 9 to 8, and I'd pass everybody whose opinion I cared about, and they look at you, and they would go like this. And it was everyone you could imagine. It was people from my past. It was people working on the show. It was always, of course, Lauren and, like. And everyone was just like, wow. Like, you really let us down.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's like, Amy Poehler, you are late for Hot Dog Bar Mitzvah. Where is your prosthetic butt? Your funny wig? It's so crazy. What gives us literal anxiety trauma is like, you running to go do, like, Mr. Butt and the hot dog Hospital. And Lauren going, you're a disappointment to your father. Like, wait, I have to go be Captain Crunch. The musical. So stupid. So stupid, so stupid.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay, and the last question that. That Mitra wanted me to ask, she had so many good ones was like, the. And you're talking. You've talked about it a little bit, but, like, the biggest bomb and the best and the favorite show you've ever done because we talk about. You must have bombed big time. And I'm kind of fascinated about your time opening with Adam Sandler, who talk about what a, like, terrific, lovely person and, like, nicest person probably to be around and open for, but the odd audience might not have been that ready for you.

[Sarah Sherman]

He is so.

[Amy Poehler]

Is that a good way to say it?

[Sarah Sherman]

Thank and thank you. I'll take it away from here.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay.

[Sarah Sherman]

Exactly. It is okay. Butt sucking initiation computer enhanced butt sucking. Right now. You and Adam. And there have been other cat like Fred. You guys are so mentioned that. It's like, I'm thinking of people who have, like, how could anyone do SNL without the menches Like, I have Adam being like, you're doing great, kid. Like, I would have blown my brains out from here to the Western seaboard if I didn't have him being like, you got it, dude. Yeah, he's so. Every time you see him, how's your mother? How's your father? How's Hanukkah? What's going on? I love you. How are you? So Menchie and, like, opening for him. I have bombed a lot because people have paid good money to be there. They have hired babysitters. They drove all the way from Hackensack. They are six drinks in. They are there to see Adam Sandler. Not Long island presents Sarah Sherman. Someone they don't know who's sweating up there. They have paid good money to see the Wedding Singer.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, honestly, when I was watching your special, I was fascinated by the audience. Cause I was like, this audience. So your special Sarah Squirm, live, in the flesh. Live and in the flesh. Live plus, in the flesh.

[Sarah Sherman]

Thank you. That was a big. That was a big thing.

[Amy Poehler]

Live plus, in the flesh. And I. And first of all, why is its hair Squirm?

[Sarah Sherman]

That was how I like, when I was doing these basement shows with the Tree Zone stuff. It was just like. The poster was like, you know, I wrote written in guts. It was like, also, it was, like, performed with bands like Piss, Piss, Piss, Moan, Moan. Rest in peace, Alejandro. He has passed. Um, that's a crazy thing to say, but, like, I was like. So I was like, I don't want to just be like. And Sarah. And then there's Sarah. So, like, I was kind of like. It was like.

[Amy Poehler]

It was like your punk Persona. It was like. It was like X ray specs or like, Alice Cooper or something. And I like it. It's very music.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's very music.

[Amy Poehler]

But that's, like, the show.

[Sarah Sherman]

That's what, like, it was the shows that I was doing because I was like. I just. You know, it was. It was the vibe. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And did you get pressure to, like. Did people say it should be Sarah Sherman?

[Sarah Sherman]

So then when I got so. So, like, I auditioned for. When I auditioned for SNL doing. You know, they. Or. No, I was doing. I was just performing at Sarah Squirm at the time, and I wasn't really, like, thinking about it. And then when I got. So that. That's on all of my SNL paperwork. It's just. They found me at a show as Sarah Squirm, so that's still on all my paperwork.

[Amy Poehler]

You've never been paid. I've never been paid.

[Sarah Sherman]

I don't work there.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

My alter ego works there. Point to another ghost here. My alter ego works there. And Lauren, when I got the job, Lauren called me and was like, you know, they're like, oh, Sarah, like, Lauren's calling you. And I was like, hello? And he's like, we think Squirm is a little distracting. And I go, say no more.

[Amy Poehler]

You can have. And you know who liked that? Your parents.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah. Oh, my mom is still. Still this day. It's like, people will be like, hi, Mrs. Squirm. And she's like, no, that. Don't call me that.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, they want to hear Sherman up there.

[Sarah Sherman]

They want to hear Sherman.

[Mitra Juhari]

Yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

And so it was when I was doing the special, not, you know, people don't know me from standup, really, because I know the ticket sales show Pittsburgh. They, like, you know, everyone's like, it should be like, Sarah Sherman live and in the flesh. But I'm like, but that's not the character.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I get it.

[Mitra Juhari]

And it.

[Amy Poehler]

It really helps set, like, the table. Like you said. Like, you set the table really fast. In fact, the table is set.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's set because it's got the full.

[Amy Poehler]

The special starts with something I've never seen in a comedy special, which is like. It's like, there's, like, a warning of graphic violence.

[Sarah Sherman]

There is.

[Amy Poehler]

It's like, there's a warning of graphic. Like, there's so many warnings.

[Sarah Sherman]

There is. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And, you know, you also start with John Waters.

[Sarah Sherman]

I know. Which is the ultimate trigger warning.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes. You're. You're so right. If he's like, put a. Kind of Put a stamp on something, you know, that, like, there's going to be so much poop talked about, for sure. And also, just. Just like, he's like this. I mean, he's. What does he mean to you, John Waters?

[Sarah Sherman]

Like,

[Amy Poehler]

how did you get him? How do you see? You wrote him a letter.

[Sarah Sherman]

I wrote him a letter that was like. I drew, like, everything. What. What's so helpful with visual art or, like, all this. It's like you can provide your own trigger warning always. So I wrote a. Like, for the posters for Hell Trap. It's like there's a butthole that's bleeding with an eyeball. Like, you know what you're getting into.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, my God.

[Sarah Sherman]

Sarah, enough. Enough.

[Amy Poehler]

Okay?

[Sarah Sherman]

So I wrote him a letter, and there was, like, intestines all over it. And I was like, do you want to. Like, you know, there's this. Do you want to play the stage manager? In my standup special. And I was like, your scene partner will be this. And then I drew a little picture of me as like the bones and guts on the floor. And I'm like, this is who you're going to be talking to. And then I put my. My number at the bottom of the letter and I was like, if you're interested, call me or whatever. And then I was getting into therapy on a particularly devastating read of a day. I had just bought a loaf of sourdough bread and I was literally walking down my block ripping off pieces of bread and eating it like an animal or a raccoon. Good job, Lauren. You knew. And I got a call from an unknown number, Baltimore area code. Hey, Sarah, it's John Waters. I'll see you on that. What? Yeah. And I said to my producers, because I had written the stage manager character.

[Amy Poehler]

What a cool way to say it. I'll see you on. I was like, that's an old school fun way to say it. I see you on.

[Sarah Sherman]

And I was like, do you want me to. Is there anything you want to say, like. And he's like, I'm not writing it. You wrote it. I'm saying what you wrote. And I go, that's professional.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sarah Sherman]

He doesn't have punch up. He's like. I'll be honest.

[Amy Poehler]

I bet he had about like a two hour door to door, right? Like, he was like, we got a heart out and we got to be out here in an hour and a half.

[Sarah Sherman]

He was being hilarious and he was pitching jokes cuz he could, he couldn't. And guess what? They made it in. Yeah. Okay, you want some Visine? Cuz my eyeballs out. That was a John Waters original riff. Yeah, it's like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. That's the crazy thing. I keep going back to snl, but you're bringing it out of me, girl.

[Amy Poehler]

I.

[Sarah Sherman]

If I didn't have snl, I would be a random crazy person. Person.

[Amy Poehler]

But I want to say something. I don't find you crazy. I don't think you're crazy. That's why you're interesting. Because if you were truly detached in like, in a way, not to name names, but like other sometimes like performers who are kind of in your milia or vibe are. Then it's hard. Then it's kind of hard to attach. Sure, it is hard. Like it's like, okay, they're in their own like creative world, but like, I don't know, we're just gonna kind of watch it from afar, but you aren't. So it's very interesting because you have command of what you're doing in a way that's.

[Sarah Sherman]

Right. There is. But I'm like, without snl, would I have been able to do this crazy comedy special where there's like a clay butt that farts out at ghost? Would John Waters have agreed? Like, I don't know. Probably not. Thank God.

[Amy Poehler]

And for people that have listened all the way to the end, I mean, there is a clay butt that happens

[Sarah Sherman]

right in the beginning. If you don't like it, turn it off. Turn it off.

[Amy Poehler]

Speaking of comedy, as we end, what do you. Who are you listening to? Laughing because, you know, you do comedy all day for a job.

[Mitra Juhari]

Who.

[Amy Poehler]

What do you watch to laugh? Like, what is your checkout? Like, is it a video? Is it a. Are you watching old movies? Are you like, what's making you laugh?

[Sarah Sherman]

Most recently, always Real Housewives.

[Amy Poehler]

I'm blind. The last question Mitra had for you is, are you enjoying Real Housewives? Rhode island listeners? Sarah is just like, what is she? She's just, she's aghast at the obvious. Yes.

[Sarah Sherman]

Did you grow up watching soaps?

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, I watched General Hospital, which was

[Sarah Sherman]

my favorite show of all time.

[Amy Poehler]

Weren't you on a soap?

[Sarah Sherman]

I begged to be on General Hospital so I could bring my mom. And we met Sunny Corinthos and sobbed for days. Yeah. Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

I just talked to Paula Pell, who also loves soaps and has not been on one, and I feel like Paula should definitely be on. Oh, yeah. I.

[Sarah Sherman]

They were like, are you kidding? And I was like, no, no.

[Amy Poehler]

Who did you play on the soap?

[Sarah Sherman]

A woman.

[Amy Poehler]

A Russian.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah, The Russians arena.

[Amy Poehler]

The Russians arena.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah. I. I love talking about what makes me laugh. I was watching home movies the other day, hysterical laughing like, of your family? No, I wish, actually. That would be nicer. The cartoon. Oh, yes. Yeah.

[Mitra Juhari]

Okay.

[Amy Poehler]

I don't know home movies.

[Sarah Sherman]

It's fucking funny. And it's very crude animation. My kids. Yeah, it's so funny. Dying laughing.

[Amy Poehler]

Oh, we've got our. We've got some friends in there, right?

[Sarah Sherman]

We've got some friends in there.

[Amy Poehler]

H. John Benjamin. Okay, got it. So it's laughing and it's animated sitcom created by Brendan Small and Lauren Bouchard, who made Bob's Burger's. Got it, got it, got it. Home laughing. So are you a big animation girl?

[Ad Read / Announcer]

No.

[Sarah Sherman]

You're not? No.

[Amy Poehler]

Because I bet people are like, you're like animation.

[Sarah Sherman]

Like, you look like a cartoon, you bug eyed. Jesus Sarah, apologize.

[Amy Poehler]

Sarah, you said that to yourself.

[Sarah Sherman]

I know. Apologize to my friend Sarah. Bad. I patted myself.

[Amy Poehler]

But you're not a cartoon person.

[Sarah Sherman]

No, because they like it. They can't emote or anything. Like, I love Ren and Stimpy. I'm not like, laughing out loud.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Sarah Sherman]

So I don't know why you're loving it.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, that's good.

[Sarah Sherman]

Get in my ass and then that's really funny. I just did. Do you know Hollywood Handbook, the podcast?

[Amy Poehler]

I love Hollywood Handbook.

[Sarah Sherman]

I was okay.

[Amy Poehler]

I shout out to Hollywood Handbook. Those guys are hysterical. I saw them recently in a restaurant and asked if I could be on their pod. And I watched you and they were like, no. They were like, we are booked. And also I watched you on Hollywood Handbook and that bit went on forever.

[Sarah Sherman]

So it was 45 minutes.

[Amy Poehler]

Yeah, it's just one long bit.

[Sarah Sherman]

Just one long, fat bit joke.

[Amy Poehler]

And it.

[Sarah Sherman]

Sorry.

[Amy Poehler]

It was so. I love a bit that goes on that long.

[Sarah Sherman]

I love it. And they were, like, acting like they hated it. I love it. They say, like, Sean will say one. I can't. Like, I. I was laughing like a baby last, like, I was going, like, sweat. Laughing so hard. Sweating through my pants. Sweating through my hat and my pants.

[Amy Poehler]

I know. I. I think there's some delight and it's kind of. It's. I'm going to. I'm going to. I'm going to bring us back. There is some kind of delight that you have that I share, which is if you get to be around, like, like minded and safe people and you guys are like playing like and going like just on the corner and edges of things. But it's with people that are like, not just like nice people that you like. Basically. There's no greater joy because it feels like you're actually like. I guess I imagine it would be like entering dangerous terrain with people who are really skilled that will take care of you. That's the closest. I mean, we're not athletes.

[Sarah Sherman]

Relaxed. That the thought.

[Amy Poehler]

I love that too. I love. I love a family that teases each other. That to me is a sign of intimacy.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yes.

[Amy Poehler]

And it's a sign of safety if you're with. It obviously has to be the right people in the right way. But, like, when that happens, it feels like like a special kind of magic.

[Sarah Sherman]

Yeah. Like, yeah, we are making fat jokes. Is that amazing? No, but it's. It's safe. You can like, be a little scary when it's like, safe.

[Amy Poehler]

Yes.

[Sarah Sherman]

You're so right.

[Amy Poehler]

Well, congratulations on being a vet. Was that an abrupt goodbye.

[Mitra Juhari]

What should we do?

[Amy Poehler]

I'm going to put my shoe back on.

[Sarah Sherman]

Oh, oh, I forgot.

[Amy Poehler]

Can you believe that I've had my shoes off the entire time?

[Sarah Sherman]

How did it feel? Did you feel grounded?

[Amy Poehler]

It didn't feel bad. I don't mind it.

[Sarah Sherman]

It didn't feel bad.

[Ad Read / Announcer]

It didn't feel.

[Amy Poehler]

I didn't. Yeah, I know what you mean. Like, was I grounding during that time?

[Sarah Sherman]

Like, did you or were the whole time you were talking to me?

[Amy Poehler]

Were you like, are you a shoes off person in your house?

[Sarah Sherman]

Do people have to take shoes off? I like my shoes on. And I like Frankenstein boots all day. Yeah, I'm not even wearing them right now. So you think I'm a liar. I'm wearing little shoes.

[Amy Poehler]

Little cuties though. But let's not show them for free.

[Sarah Sherman]

Let's not show them for free. Oh man, you gotta pay for that. Yep, that's correct. A lot. Cuz we're on tv, so. Yeah.

[Amy Poehler]

And AI is going to take everybody's job. So we're going to the only thing robots, cats don't have human feet.

[Sarah Sherman]

And when they show them they have an extra toe. And that's kind of interesting.

[Amy Poehler]

And if you were listening at the very beginning, Sarah has a weird condition where her big toe is just a sack of bones.

[Mitra Juhari]

Right.

[Amy Poehler]

So if that's your kink, then you got to go to her toe channel. Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

And. And if you are only listening to the end of this podcast weird, why didn't you listen to the beginning? Did you just like scrub through?

[Amy Poehler]

And if that's your kink, then we're not kink shaming you. But you might want to think about listening a podcast the entire way through because it also might be sad satisfying.

[Mitra Juhari]

Right.

[Sarah Sherman]

Or I like to kink shame. I think it's weird when people like stuff that's weird. Sorry.

[Amy Poehler]

Sarah, thank you for doing this.

[Sarah Sherman]

Thanks for having me.

[Amy Poehler]

Thank you for coming. Thank you so much. Sarah Squirm. Sarah Sherman. It was so fun to talk to you and you're so fast and funny and. Yeah, what a delight. And, and you know, Sarah and I talked about a lot of people that we've had the pleasure to work with, but I just want to give a little shout out again to a woman in my life who really shaped my career. And I know a lot of people in Chicago could say the same. And that is Sharna Halpern. Sharna was the creator and the person who started a theater called I.O. in Chicago with Del Close. And Sharna was just one of those people that if she saw something in you, she put you in front of important people and she put you on stage. And in my case, she changed my life. So thank you, Sharna, for helping me meet most of the people who I still work with today. And for those of you that are in Chicago, go see improv and go see it in any city, support it today and every day and support the arts. Okay, thanks. Bye. You've been listening to Good Hang the executive producers for this show are Bill Simmons, Jenna Weissberman and me, Amy Poehler. The show is produced by the Ringer and Paper Kite. For the Ringer production by Jack Wilson, cat Spillane, Kaia McMullen and Alaia Zaneris. For Paper Kite production by Sam Green, Joel Lovell and Jenna Weiss Berman. Original music by Amy Miles. Pandora Jewelry brings the sparkle to your summer now with even better prices. Enjoy up to 50% off select styles from personalized pieces to must have favorites made for the summer. Timeless designs that shine with you through every moment wherever the summer takes you. Shop in store or online now through July 5th. Terms and conditions apply. Visit Pandora.net for details.

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[Sarah Sherman]

too early just to play it safe.

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