Sarah Silverman Delivers Rage-Fueled, Emotional Kavanaugh Appeal

Silverman Image by Getty Images

By Jenny Singer October 5, 2018

Everybody’s Jewish fairy godmother Sarah Silverman has waved her magic wand — words — again, making everything a little bit better (though the orange pumpkin remains discouragingly orange.)

Dressed in her finest patriotic tracksuit, high-ponytail swinging and eyebrow shapes devastatingly precise, she addressed America’s senators ahead of what will now be the final vote for Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation.

“Senators, please believe me when I say this is no longer a job interview,” Silverman began. “Your vote is a statement that is either ‘Hell no, this is not okay, this is not who we are,’ or it’s telling every woman, every girl, every boy, every person, that what happens to women’s bodies does not matter.” Growing emotional, she went on, “That women’s truths don’t matter. That you get yourself sexually assaulted, and if you have the nerve to come forward with it, it is a mistake and the President of the f*****g United States will mock you for it.”

For the attention of –@JeffFlake @lisamurkowski @SenatorCollins @SenateGOP

Via @ilyamerica #VoteNo pic.twitter.com/ILJ1oSJX80

— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) October 4, 2018

In a brief monologue, Silverman offers a decent summary of the ping-ponging fury, disbelief, and sorrow so many women and men feel in regards to the treatment of Dr Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations about Brett Kavanaugh. And the way she appeals to legislators — a mixture of moral coaxing, ego-massages, personal appeals, and panic — is so familiar.

“Sorry this wasn’t funny,” Silverman ends her talk. “I should smile more.”

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

Jenny Singer is a freelance writer with pieces in Vox, the Washington Post, The San Francisco Chronicle, Teen Vogue, and more. She was previously a staff writer at Glamour and the Forward, and she’s currently getting an MFA in nonfiction writing at the University of Iowa.

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