Sarah Silverman is branching out into political commentary. The stand-up comedian and actress will host a weekly half-hour talk show — in the vein of “Full Frontal” or “Last Week Tonight”— from Funny Or Die, tentatively called “I Love You, America.” Deadline reports that there was quite a bidding war over the series, featuring “production offers from both ad-supported and pay services.” Hulu eventually nabbed the project, giving it a 10-episode straight-to-series order.
In addition to headlining the show, Silverman will exec produce with Amy Zvi and Funny Or Die’s Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
“From inciting treason to telling poop jokes, Sarah Silverman often has been a lightning rod for heated online debate,” the source summarizes. “While she has been open about her political convictions and, like many of her colleagues, has spoken out against President Donald Trump and his policies, the new program is designed to be balanced, with her looking to connect with people who may not agree with her personal opinions through honesty, humor, genuine interest in others, and not taking herself too seriously.”
No word on when exactly we can expect “I Love You, America,” but given the current political climate, we’re betting Funny Or Die and Hulu will want to debut it sooner rather than later. (Let’s all pause for a moment and imagine the comedy gold Silverman could’ve mined from the Trumpcare shitshow.)
For now, however, you can catch Silverman in a bunch of other projects. Her next stand-up special — also produced by Zvi — will be released on Netflix May 30. She will also portray World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman in Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton’s “Battle of the Sexes.” The comedy based on the historical tennis match between Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) hits theaters September 22.
Silverman’s last comedy special, HBO’s “Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles,” earned her an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. She received a 2016 SAG nomination for her dramatic turn in “I Smile Back,” a portrait of a woman struggling with mental health issues, addiction, and motherhood.
Silverman’s other credits include “The Sarah Silverman Program,” Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz,” “Masters of Sex,” “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping,” and “Bob’s Burgers.”
