# Is Sarah Silverman funny? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 5, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655 "2007-10-05T17:06:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/1 "2007-10-05T17:06:48Z")
Seems to me that her main schtick is the shock of hearing potty language come out of the mouth of a rather attractive young woman. In _The Aristocrats_, her bit started funny, but she overexplained it. The first part was the only time I’ve actually laughed at something she said. Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/2 "2007-10-05T17:09:54Z")
She leaves me cold. Yeah, yeah…inappropriate, vulgar, blah, blah, blah. Mostly I see something of a mean streak in her. Couple that with her questionable taste in men (Jimmy Fucking Kimmel) and I’m just not getting it. She is probably a very talented writer, but you have a framework other than your obnoxious self to write around. I think that’s where her reputation comes from. ---
**Author:** ![akira5822](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/53a042/32.png) [@akira5822](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akira5822)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/3 "2007-10-05T17:12:06Z")
No ---
**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/4 "2007-10-05T17:14:00Z")
I don’t think she’s funny. My husband does. Her persona is that of a terrrifically mean and unpleasant person, which I don’t find very amusing. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/5 "2007-10-05T17:14:05Z")
Humor is pretty subjective. That having been said, no, she isn’t. IMO. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/6 "2007-10-05T17:16:13Z")
Women aren’t funny. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/7 "2007-10-05T17:17:19Z")
I’ve seen her be funny (on Rough Crowd, or whatever that Colin Quinn show was), but her show just makes me squirm. So, no. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/8 "2007-10-05T17:17:33Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] She leaves me cold. Yeah, yeah…inappropriate, vulgar, blah, blah, blah. Mostly I see something of a mean streak in her. [/QUOTE] This is how I see her, too. Mostly not clever, and kind of mean. Thinks she can get a laugh just from being vulgar, which generally isn’t that amusing. Comedians can be vulgar _and_ funny, but they usually have a point to the humor other than just the vulgarity. ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/9 "2007-10-05T17:18:35Z")
She can be quite funny at times, but she shouldn’t be surprised if she gets a random punch in the mouth while walking down the street. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/10 "2007-10-05T17:18:48Z")
I didn’t find her standup very funny, but the show makes me laugh sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/11 "2007-10-05T17:20:13Z")
[QUOTE=VCO3] Women aren’t funny. [/QUOTE] Evidently you never saw Ellen DeGeneres’s stand up act. She was hysterical - an exceptional comic, one of the very best. Humor’s subjective. Personally, I don’t find Silverman at all funny. I like shock humor - I think “Family Guy” is hilarious - but Silverman always comes across to me as a drama geek who’s acting outrageous to mask her personal issues. Nothing is less entertaining than a hammy drama geek. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/12 "2007-10-05T17:20:56Z")
I used to think so, but she’s nothing more than a one-trick pony. If she’s going to do “mean-spirited” celebrity humor, she should take a lesson from Kathy Griffin. At least she knows how to snark without sounding like a snotty teenager. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/13 "2007-10-05T17:24:24Z")
[QUOTE=RickJay] Evidently you never saw Ellen DeGeneres’s stand up act. She was hysterical - an exceptional comic, one of the very best. Humor’s subjective. Personally, I don’t find Silverman at all funny. I like shock humor - I think “Family Guy” is hilarious - but Silverman always comes across to me as a drama geek who’s acting outrageous to mask her personal issues. Nothing is less entertaining than a hammy drama geek. [/QUOTE] Exactly. She was a talented stage actress, but went on to try to become something she just isn’t. The only way to get around her basic lack of comedic acumen is to try to shock people. She should have stayed with her talents. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/14 "2007-10-05T17:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=Sarahfeena] This is how I see her, too. Mostly not clever, and kind of mean. Thinks she can get a laugh just from being vulgar, which generally isn’t that amusing. Comedians can be vulgar _and_ funny, but they usually have a point to the humor other than just the vulgarity. [/QUOTE] Right! She reminds me a lot of Howard Stern, except without the brain-dead naked women. Shock for shock’s sake has been done to death. I’ll take Ellen Degeneres or Kathy Griffin over Sarah any day of the week. Christ…she almost makes Joan Rivers sound funny again! (I said _almost_.) ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/15 "2007-10-05T17:27:27Z")
Hmmm. Don’t recognize the name. I’ve seen _The Aristocrats_, but that was years ago. Not having TV has some drawbacks. Well, I found a pic online. Funny or not, she _is_ cute. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/16 "2007-10-05T17:29:21Z")
I think she’s hilarious. She’s vulgar, yes, but she’s also a pretty good joke crafter. “My seven year old niece came home from school the other day. She said, ‘Aunt Sarah, did you know Hitler killed 60 million Jews during the holocaust?’” “I had to tell her, ‘He killed 6 million Jews. . .he wasn’t _that_ bad.’” She uses vulgarity not just to be vulgar but for the genuine humor that can come from the incongruity of it (same niece again). . .“aunt Sarah, I figured out I’m a lesbian. Don’t worry, I don’t hate men or anything (pause) I just love eating pussy.” Good timing. Fearless. Uses her persona and appearance as part of her shtick. I think she’s very talented. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/17 "2007-10-05T17:29:38Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] …Well, I found a pic online. Funny or not, she _is_ cute. [/QUOTE] Yes, indeed. That is actually part of the schtick. It’s teh _shocking_ to hear such things coming from the mouth of such a cute girl. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/18 "2007-10-05T17:29:42Z")
She’s not very funny, although she can be funny at times, generally I find her hard to take. I must admit, however, she has a pretty funny commercial on Sirius about whether the success of her show has changed her. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/19 "2007-10-05T17:30:37Z")
> [@](#): > > **Originally Posted by VCO3** > Women aren’t funny. > > [QUOTE=RickJay] > Evidently you never saw Ellen DeGeneres’s stand up act. She was hysterical - an exceptional comic, one of the very best. [/QUOTE] Did your ears just pop? ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2007, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655/20 "2007-10-05T17:33:23Z")
She was funny on Howard this Monday asking if she could smell the balls of one of the more hygiene-challenged members of the staff. Alas, he had just showered so came back on Wednesday and did it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-sarah-silverman-funny/421655.md?page=2)