Sarah Silverman claims she got fired from film over her 2007 blackface controversy

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Press Trust of India Los Angeles
Last Updated : Aug 14 2019 | 3:25 PM IST

Actor-comedian Sarah Silverman has revealed that she recently got axed from a comedy movie after photographs from her infamous 'blackface' episode of her show resurfaced on social media.

The 'blackface' controversy happened in 2007 over her comedy sketch for "The Sarah Silverman Show" where she wore dark face paint while discussing whether it is more difficult to be black or Jewish.

She has time and again apologised, calling it the most "regrettable joke" of her life.

During her appearance on "The Bill Simmons Podcast", Silverman said the producers came across the photographs from the sketch and decided to fire her from the film.

"I recently was going to do a movie, a sweet part. Then, at 11pm the night before, they fired me because they saw a picture of me in blackface from that episode.

"I didn't fight it. They hired someone else who is wonderful but who has never stuck their neck out. It was so disheartening. It just made me real, real sad, because I really kind of devoted my life to making it right," the 48-year-old actor said.

Though she did not reveal the name of the film she was dropped from, Silverman went to lambast the "cancel culture" of Hollywood.

"I think it's really scary and it's a very odd thing that it's invaded the left primarily and the right will mimic it," she added.

Silverman said she dubs the current climate in the industry as one of "righteousness p**n".

"If you're not on board, if you say the wrong thing, if you had a tweet once, everyone is throwing the first stone. It's a perversion. It's really, 'Look how righteous I am and now I'm going to press refresh all day long to see how many likes I get in my righteousness'," she said.

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First Published: Aug 14 2019 | 3:25 PM IST

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