Over the last couple of years, comedians have found themselves in the crosshairs of many folks, based on the jokes/sketches/comments that have surfaced. For decades, there are comedians that have made their living by pushing the boundaries of good taste (going over that line, in some cases), all for the sake of a laugh. But with the recent trend of sensitivity and inclusivity, those comedians are finding it more and more difficult to adjust. Case in point, Sarah Silverman, a comedian who has never held back from pushing the envelope recently explained how a sketch from one of her previous series is still preventing her from getting work.
Speaking on the Bill Simmons Podcast (via IndieWire), Silverman explained how a 2007 blackface sketch from her Comedy Central series, “The Sarah Silverman Program,” is still haunting her to this day.
“I recently was going to do a movie, a sweet part, then at 11pm the night before they fired me because they saw a picture of me in blackface from that episode. I didn’t fight it. They hired someone else who is wonderful but who has never stuck their neck out. It was so disheartening. It just made me real, real sad, because I really kind of devoted my life to making it right,” explained Silverman.
Of course, Silverman, along with many comedians who find themselves in a similar situation, paying the price for jokes made even as far as a decade ago or longer, claims that there was no malice behind the sketch and has tried to make amends in the years since. However, considering the Internet doesn’t forget, and these jokes and sketches will live in infamy forever online, Silverman is constantly finding that her career is being affected.
In the discussion, filmmaker James Gunn was brought up, who also found himself losing work because of jokes made years ago. Silverman says that it’s unfair to have these stigmas follow people around for years.
“It’s like, if you’re not on board, if you say the wrong thing, if you had a tweet once, everyone is, like, throwing the first stone,” Silverman added. “It’s so odd. It’s a perversion. It’s really, ‘Look how righteous I am and now I’m going to press refresh all day long to see how many likes I get in my righteousness.’”
While she doesn’t mention the film she was fired from by name, a quick glance at IMDB shows the only upcoming project on her slate is the comedy film “Marry Me.” So, perhaps that comedy, which stars Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson, is the one she is referring to. We will soon find out.