Sarah Sherman: The Surreal, Gross-Out Comedian Making Waves

1. Sarah Sherman Early Life & Education

• Birth / Family / Upbringing
  Sherman was born on March 7, 1993 on Long Island, New York and was raised in Great Neck, in a Jewish family.
• She has claimed to be attracted to cartoons and weird images since she was young (e.g. Ren and Stimpy, Garbage Pail Kids).
• High School & College
  She entered high school as an improv member and even took track.
• She continued to Northwestern University where she graduated in 2015 with a degree in theater.
• Origins of “Sarah Squirm”
  Sherman changed her stage name to Sarah Squirm, after a high school nickname, particularly when she played offbeat and gross-out aesthetics.

2. Comedy Style: Surreal, Body Horror & Gross-Out

Surrealism, body horror imagery, and readiness to put the audience on edge are some of the most characteristic of Sherman.

• She frequently uses grotesque images or nonsensical situations (vomit rigs, prosthetics, imagery of dismemberment) in her work.
• However, she does not do it just so that she can shock. A greater number of her sketches have a more emotional or satirical centre, delving into identity, body image, shame, and awkwardness in people.

Critics have praised how she was able to bring that aesthetic to sketch platforms such as SNL without seeming like a nut-job.

3. Career Before SNL

Before joining Saturday Night Live, Sherman had already been building a reputation in alternative comedy circles:

• In Chicago, she hosted a monthly event with other comedians called Helltrap Nightmare that combined noise, performance art, stand-up, and bizarre experiments.
• Her first appearance on television was in 2018, as an Adult Swim infomercial called Flayaway.
• She was also a writer on such shows as The Eric Andre Show, Three Busy Debras, and Magic for Humans.
• In 2019 she toured with Eric Andre as the headliner on his tour Legalize Everything.

It is these experiences that enabled her to polish her voice and seek like-minded individuals that she could collaborate with her on her bizarre aesthetic.

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4. Breaking into Saturday Night Live

a. Auditioning & Hiring

• Sherman was first auditioned on SNL in 2016 (through a showcase at Chicago) but failed.
• She has worked in Just for Laughs (Montreal) and this made her visible to SNL producers.
• She was eventually signed as a featured player in October 2021.
• Later, in October 2023, she was made a repertory.

b. Style Adaptation

What’s remarkable is how Sherman managed to adapt her offbeat, transgressive style into SNL sketches while retaining its edge:

• She often works together with a writer, Dan Bulla (who shares an office with her) to draw sketches with her sensibility.
• Her drawings frequently indulge in grotesque or unnatural imagery – e.g. Eyes (wiggle eyes prosthetic), My Best Friends House with severed head prop.
• She has also presented novel rigging (such as a hands-free vomit rig) in order to bring to life her more visceral ideas.
• On Weekend Update, Sherman has performed some recurring segments (roasting Colin Jost, etc.) which also benefit her off-kilter persona.

5. Major Works & Additional Projects

Beyond SNL, Sherman has several credits and projects worth noting:

• She often works together with a writer, Dan Bulla (who shares an office with her) to draw sketches with her sensibility.
• Her drawings frequently indulge in grotesque or unnatural imagery – e.g. Eyes (wiggle eyes prosthetic), My Best Friends House with severed head prop.
• She has also presented novel rigging (such as a hands-free vomit rig) in order to bring to life her more visceral ideas.
• On Weekend Update, Sherman has performed some recurring segments (roasting Colin Jost, etc.) which also benefit her off-kilter persona.

6. Controversies & Criticism

Sherman’s bold comedic choices have sometimes landed her in hot water:

• She often works together with a writer, Dan Bulla (who shares an office with her) to draw sketches with her sensibility.
• Her drawings frequently indulge in grotesque or unnatural imagery – e.g. Eyes (wiggle eyes prosthetic), My Best Friends House with severed head prop.
• She has also presented novel rigging (such as a hands-free vomit rig) in order to bring to life her more visceral ideas.
• On Weekend Update, Sherman has performed some recurring segments (roasting Colin Jost, etc.) which also benefit her off-kilter persona.

These episodes highlight the tightrope she walks between shock humor and social accountability.

7. Influence & Legacy

• Sherman is said to have pushed what mainstream sketch comedy can bear. The fact that she succeeded in SNL indicates that even network television can use more unconventional voices.
• Her influence can encourage the younger comedians to bend the form, imagery, and tone, particularly those who tare down the boundaries between stand-up, performance art and horror.
• Her work is an example of how to remain creatively individualistic even in such a massive organization.

8. Challenges & Critiques

• Other critics cite that her style may turn away audiences or be closed to a mainstream audience.
• The controversy surrounding the sensitive parodies indicates that the line between bold satire and insult is rather narrow.
• It is a tradeoff to bring her personal style to larger audiences (TV, streaming, etc.): balance between keeping the voice provocative but not losing reach.

9. What’s Next for Sarah Sherman?

• She will probably acquire bigger parts on SNL, perhaps in more anchored or character-based sketches.
• An extension into film, animation, or television could be a good idea in consideration of her credits in the past.
• Her radio show Freakradio can also change format or coverage too.
• Sherman can participate more in her role as a boundary-pushing comedian, however, as the discourse around satire, offense, and representation continues to gain momentum at a more social level.

10. FAQs About Sarah Sherman