CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
  • Travel
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDBs Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      FOOD & BEVERAGE
        CULTURE
        • Power Trip
        • Fashion
        • Books
        • Royalist
        TECH
        • Disinformation
        SCOUTED
        • Face Masks
        • Clothing
        • Technology
        • Bedroom
        • Kitchen
        • Home
        • Fitness
        • The Case For
        • I'm Looking For
        • New Kids On the Block
        COUPONS
        • Adidas Promo Codes
        • DoorDash Promo Codes
        • H&M Coupons
        • Hotwire Promo Codes
        • Wine.com Discounts
        • Vitacost Coupons
        • Spanx Promo Codes
        • StubHub Promo Codes
        Products
        NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
        FOLLOW US
        GOT A TIP?

        SEARCH

        HOMEPAGE
        The Last Laugh

        Sarah Silverman Throws Hulu Under the Bus on ‘The Last Laugh’ Podcast Premiere

        BURN IT DOWN

        In this preview of our new comedy podcast ‘The Last Laugh,’ Silverman reveals how Hulu failed her canceled show ‘I Love You, America.’

        Matt Wilstein

        Senior Writer

        Updated Sep. 22, 2019 10:03PM ET / Published Mar. 25, 2019 4:16AM ET 
        exclusive

        Ali Goldstein/Hulu

        Subscribe to The Last Laugh on Apple Podcasts

        Hulu’s decision to cancel of I Love You, America came as a total shock to Sarah Silverman.

        “We were so sure we were getting picked up,” she tells me during a recording session for The Daily Beast’s new comedy interview podcast The Last Laugh. “We’re all super-bummed about it.”

        The comedian’s topical, “late night”-style series premiered on Hulu in October 2017. She used it as a platform not just to preach to her like-minded liberal choir, but also to reach out to people with whom she had deep disagreements.

        Silverman hosted former Westboro Baptist Church members and ex-neo-Nazis. She visited Trump supporters in the Deep South and a group that actually calls itself Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust. She made news by expressing her complicated feelings about friend Louis C.K. and took Democrats to task for acting like they lost the 2018 midterms.

          In the end, despite Emmy and Writers Guild nominations, Hulu shut down her show after just 21 episodes. It was the third cancellation of a female-fronted show like this one in less than a year after Netflix axed Michelle Wolf’s The Break and BET got rid of The Rundown with Robin Thede.

          “I know that they did love the show,” Silverman starts out, diplomatically, “but I think what it cost compared to its popularity or the eyes that they had on it didn’t—you know, the people that make the decisions there don’t have any connection to the show. So it’s easier for them. It’s probably smart. They make very hard decisions.”

          Then she takes a turn. “I probably shouldn’t,” she says tentatively. “Eh, fuck it. Guess I’ll just burn this one down. I think it’s a funny story, or maybe it sounds obnoxious and it’s too showbiz-y. I’m really debating right now.”

          She doesn’t debate for long.

          “You know, it’s one of their only shows nominated for Emmys besides Handmaid’s Tale,” she tells me. And yet, after appearing at last year’s Emmy Awards on behalf of Hulu, Silverman says she got a $1,500 bill for hair and makeup.

          “Even Comedy Central, like 15 years ago, paid for that shit when I was nominated,” she says. “I was just flummoxed. Wouldn’t it be worth them paying $1,500 to not have me on Matt Wilstein’s podcast saying Hulu wouldn’t pay $1,500 for an Emmy for their network?”

          On top of that, when Silverman got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame last fall, Netflix—a company she hadn’t worked with in over a year—sent her roses and made a donation to one of her favorite charities. She says she didn’t even get an email from Hulu.

          “That stuff doesn’t mean anything to me—it really doesn’t,” she insists. “But it’s just such a bad look for you guys. I don’t want to say ‘appalling.’ Separating children at the border is appalling. I keep my overhead very low, but Hulu doesn’t. So they should probably pay for shit.”

          In the months since the show was canceled, Silverman has been performing more stand-up comedy around Los Angeles and is heartened when people come up and tell her how much they loved the show. “‘Keep doing what you’re doing!’” they say. “And it is just so heartbreaking because I kind of feel cut off at the knees.”

          Subscribe now to ‘The Last Laugh’ on Apple Podcasts, the Himalaya app or wherever you listen to podcasts to hear our full conversation—including Silverman’s thoughts on the 2020 Democratic primary, Al Franken, Louis C.K. and more—when it premieres tomorrow, Tuesday, March 26. And look out for new episodes featuring a different comedian guest every Tuesday moving forward.

          Matt Wilstein

          Senior Writer

          @mattwilsteinmatt.wilstein@thedailybeast.com

          Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.

          READ THIS LIST

          DAILY BEAST
          • Cheat Sheet
          • Politics
          • Crime
          • Entertainment
          • Media
          • World
          • Innovation
          • U.S. News
          • Scouted
          • Travel
          • Subscription
          • Crossword
          • Newsletters
          • Podcasts
          • About
          • Contact
          • Tips
          • Jobs
          • Advertise
          • Help
          • Privacy
          • Code of Ethics & Standards
          • Diversity
          • Terms & Conditions
          • Copyright & Trademark
          • Sitemap
          • Coupons:
          • Coupons:
          • Vistaprint Coupons
          • Samsung Promo Coupons
          • Home Depot Coupons
          • Office Depot Coupons
          • eBay Coupons
          • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
          © 2022 The Daily Beast Company LLC