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Sarah Silverman Almost Died Last Week, And Why She Still Tells Rape Jokes

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 07:26 PST, Jul 14, 2016

Sarah Silverman almost died in a hospital last week, according to Time. The 45-year-old stand-up comedian shocked her Facebooks fans when she revealed she was on the verge of death last week.

Sarah Silverman’s fans were alarmed when their favorite comedian went quiet on social media last week. The stand-up comedian usually shares her hilarious and sometimes sober-minded jokes with her social media followers, but she had been quiet for a few days.

On Wednesday, Sarah Silverman finally re-emerged on Facebook to explain her absence, and her fans were even more alarmed than before to hear that the stand-up comedian claims she spent last week in the intensive care unit with a “freak case” of epiglottitis.

Sounds scary, right? Epiglottitis is a rare life-threatening inflammation that occurs when a small cartilage “lid” that covers the windpipe swells, thus preventing the flow of air into the lungs. And so Sarah Silverman says she is “insanely lucky” to be alive, especially after three people she was close to passed away within the last year.

“There’s something that happens when three people you’re so close to die within a year and then YOU almost die but don’t.”

Sarah Silverman claims that she had been in the intensive care unit for five days and was medicated, intubated, and even operated on. The comedian also thanked her boyfriend, Michael Sheen, as well as her friends who didn’t leave her side while she was in the hospital.

And Sarah Silverman wouldn’t be Sarah Silverman if she didn’t make a joke even in such a serious post. The comedian wrote that the fact that her boyfriend and friends were so sweet made her cry, adding that it “hurts my throat, so stop.”

Elle has recently presented its first ever Women in Comedy Issue, and it included a candid interview with Sarah Silverman. The stand-up comedian shared her views on rape, women’s aging problems, and what it’s like being a “guy’s girl.”

Sarah Silverman was a one-time Saturday Night Live cast member at the age of 22 and says “nothing is taboo if you have an angle on it” when asked if there are things she would never joke about.

“That said, critiquing women’s human shells isn’t my thang. Though there’s probably something funny or interesting to be said about those who do it, and what that comes from.”

When asked by Elle’s interviewer if she considers herself a “guy’s girl,” Sarah Silverman said that while she, in fact, loves poker and basketball and does stand-up (all of which are considered to be manly things), “times are changing.”

In her opinion, women are the greatest comedians in the modern world. Sarah Silverman also reminded everyone that there is an entire women’s basketball league that was started by comedians, and now it has 19 teams.

“But me, I’m just me. Don’t make me decide. I love my sisters and brothers both.”

When asked if Sarah Silverman feels “uncomfortable” about aging as a woman, the 45-year-old comic said she doesn’t let that mentality be part of her world. And she also has a piece of advice for all those who get uncomfortable after reading their Twitter mentions.

“I have an amazing solution – don’t read Twitter mentions. Read Lenny Letter. Read E. E. Cummings.”

When asked by the interviewer if she had taken it too far when she joked about being raped by a doctor, with a punchline that said “which is so bittersweet for a Jewish girl,” Sarah Silverman admitted that this joke is “dated” for her.

Sarah Silverman explained the joke, saying it was in her special 11 years ago, adding that she had a rape joke about rape jokes in her latest special.

“As long as it’s a reflection of you now, everything is fair game. Right?”

[Photo by Eric Charbonneau/Invision for Showtime/AP Images]

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