Entertainment

Sarah Sherman Reveals She Auditioned for SNL and Bombed Badly at Age 22

Name: Sarah Sherman Reveals She Auditioned for SNL and Bombed Badly at Age 22
Uploaded: 2026-06-16T10:02:00+00:00
Description: SNL cast member Sarah Sherman disclosed that she auditioned for the show at age 22 after being encouraged by IO theater director Sharna Halpern. She attempted characters and impressions as instructed but failed spectacularly. The revelation shows the typical nonlinear path to SNL success and the resilience required in comedy careers.

Good Hang with Amy Poehler · Sarah Sherman · June 16, 2026

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

Sarah Sherman

"I did that and it was obviously terrible. Like it was just like I was trying to do what I thought the assignment was. Sure. And I bombed really badly."

SNL cast member Sarah Sherman disclosed that she auditioned for the show at age 22 after being encouraged by IO theater director Sharna Halpern. She attempted characters and impressions as instructed but failed spectacularly. The revelation shows the typical nonlinear path to SNL success and the resilience required in comedy careers.

About this episode

Amy Poehler hosts SNL cast member Sarah Sherman for a wide-ranging conversation covering Sherman's unconventional path to mainstream comedy success. Sherman, who just completed her fifth season on SNL and released an HBO special titled Sarah Squirm: Live and in the Flesh, discusses her roots in Chicago's DIY performance art scene, her early failures auditioning for SNL at age 22, and how Lorne Michaels personally vetoed her stage name Sarah Squirm when she was hired. The episode reveals Sherman's creative process working from the outside in through costumes and prosthetics rather than character motivation, a method she now questions after five seasons. Poehler, drawing on her own SNL experience, probes Sherman's relationship with confidence, failure, and her unique aesthetic that blends body horror with comedy. Sherman credits her supportive parents for giving her the foundation to take creative risks and discusses working with makeup legend Louis Zakarian on elaborate transformations. She opens up about recurring stress dreams involving missing writing deadlines and disappointing authority figures. The conversation also touches on Sherman's collaboration with John Waters for her special, her love of Real Housewives and soap operas, and her early comedy shows in basements with names like Hell Trap Nightmare featuring extreme performance art. Poehler and Sherman share a mutual appreciation for using comedy to pressure societal norms around femininity and disgust while maintaining warmth and accessibility.

Key takeaways

Sherman revealed Lorne Michaels personally called after hiring her to veto her stage name Sarah Squirm, saying it was too distracting.
After five SNL seasons, Sherman confesses she works outside-in through costumes rather than character motivation, calling it a mistake.
Sherman bombed her first SNL audition at age 22 after Chicago improv director Sharna Halpern pushed her to try out.
Michaels told Sherman he could tell she was loved as a child from her performances, which she credits as the source of her confidence.
Sherman recruited John Waters for her HBO special by mailing him a letter decorated with intestines and drawings.
Sherman does Jungian psychoanalysis multiple times weekly lying on a couch and recently startled her male analyst by acknowledging his presence.
Poehler argues Sherman fears success at traditional acting more than failure and possesses innate confidence distinguishing top SNL performers.