For years, Sarah Sherman has been the delightfully chaotic wildcard on Saturday Night Live. Now she’s about to break out in a much bigger way with a new HBO stand-up special that pushes her signature body-horror comedy style straight into the mainstream.
Her special, “Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh” (also promoted as “Sarah Sherman: Live and in the Flesh”) is set to debut December 12 on HBO Max, marking her biggest solo spotlight yet.
From SNL Weirdo to HBO Headliner
Sherman joined
Saturday Night Live in 2021 and quickly became known for her aggressively strange, extremely visual, and often grotesque comedy – a sharp contrast to the show’s more traditional sketch style. On air, she’s leaned into surreal, high-concept bits and over-the-top gore gags, embracing the persona many fans know as
“Sarah Squirm.”Now, HBO is betting that same offbeat sensibility can anchor a full-length stand-up special. On a recent appearance on
TODAY with Jenna & Friends, Sherman confirmed that
“Sarah Sherman Live and in the Flesh” will be available to stream on HBO Max on December 12, teasing the special with a preview clip and joking that her grandmother is even hosting a watch party in Florida.
> Her stand-up is being promoted as even “crazier” than the antics she pulls on SNL, leaning hard into her weird, high-energy style.
What We Know About “Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh”
While HBO hasn’t released a full transcript of the special, Sherman used her morning-show spot to hint at what viewers can expect:
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Hard‑left, absurd stand-up: The special showcases the same strange, risk-taking persona she’s honed in alt‑comedy scenes and on SNL, just with fewer network-TV limits.
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Gross-out humor and body horror: Longtime fans of “Sarah Squirm” know she loves playing with bodily absurdity, discomfort, and shock – expect more of that energy translated to a full hour.
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Personal touches: She mentioned her grandmother organizing a watch party, suggesting there are bits that poke fun at family and her own background alongside the surreal material.
On
TODAY, host Jenna Bush Hager joked about Sherman roasting her husband, SNL co‑head writer and “Weekend Update” anchor Colin Jost, during the show – a reminder that Sherman has already become a key comic voice within the SNL ensemble, not just a niche oddball.
Still Anchored at SNL – For Now
Sherman is not walking away from Studio 8H just yet. During the segment, NBC promoted that
viewers can still catch her on “Saturday Night Live” at 11:30 p.m. ET on NBC and streaming on Peacock, framing the HBO special as an extension of her SNL fame, not a departure.
That positioning matters: SNL has long been a launchpad for big stand-up projects, but it’s less common for a performer with Sherman’s niche, experimental style to get a prestige-platform special so early in their mainstream TV career. It suggests HBO sees serious upside in her brand of chaos.
The Person Behind the Persona
Offstage, Sherman is famously private, but some recent coverage has tried to peel back the curtain on her life beyond the slime and prosthetics.
A recent profile-style piece focusing on
“the life and relationships of Sarah Sherman” emphasizes that she and her partner maintain a
low‑key, respectful relationship built on mutual understanding, staying largely out of the public eye despite her growing fame. The article notes that this low-profile approach helps them sustain a sense of normalcy as Sherman’s career accelerates.
While the piece is not a major outlet profile, it reinforces what fans have noticed:
Sherman rarely turns her personal life into public content, preferring to let her weird, heightened stage persona take the spotlight while her real relationships remain mostly offline.
Why This Special Matters for Comedy
Sherman’s HBO debut is more than just another stand-up drop in a crowded streaming landscape. It signals a few bigger shifts:
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Alt‑comedy is going mainstream: A performer this experimental getting a glossy HBO platform shows there is real demand for stranger, riskier stand-up.
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SNL’s pipeline is diversifying: Instead of only launching traditional observational comics or movie stars, SNL is now pushing highly stylized, niche voices to the front.
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HBO and Max want distinctive comedy brands: By betting on Sherman’s unmistakable “Sarah Squirm” identity, HBO is doubling down on comedians who feel impossible to confuse with anyone else.
If the special lands, it could open the door for more unconventional SNL cast members and alt‑scene comics to get similar deals.
What to Watch For Next
As “Sarah Squirm: Live + in the Flesh” hits HBO Max, here are the big things to keep an eye on:
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Critical response: Do reviewers embrace the gore-core weirdness, or see it as too niche for a broad audience?
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Fan reaction: Sherman already has a devoted online following; strong word-of-mouth could turn the special into a cult hit.
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Awards chatter: If the special breaks through, it could put Sherman into the conversation for future comedy awards and cement her status as one of SNL’s breakout stars of this era.
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Future projects: A successful HBO special could pave the way for:
- More stand-up hours
- A sketch series or limited series built around her style
- Film roles tailored to her bizarre, physical comedy
For now, Sherman seems content to split her time between SNL’s live chaos and this new, fully unleashed stand-up chapter. But if this special hits the way HBO clearly hopes,
Sarah Squirm might not stay a cult favorite for long.
Sources
1. Sarah Sherman on New Standup Special, Texting Lorne Michaels
2. Exploring The Life And Relationships Of Sarah Sherman
