Over the weekend, Saturday Night Live returned with a solid episode starring Louis CK. Of its many memorable sketches was "Dodo the Birthday Clown," which we said was "very well structured and executed." Now, however, some are saying that the sketch was plagiarized.
Since the sketch surfaced on Saturday night, comedian Tig Notaro has reminded us all of a sketch she made with the exact same premise. In both videos, a lonely person hires a birthday clown to come over and perform in their living room.
Notaro didn't mention SNL by name, but she reshared the video on Facebook with the following caption:
For all recent requests: Here is my short film CLOWN SERVICE (based on a true story) that has been screened at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles for over a year AND it premiered at Vulture's Comedy Festival in NYC as well as numerous film festivals around the country AND I am currently screening on my national tour. Please feel free watch and share.
It's worth noting that the two comedians have worked together in the past, with CK releasing Notaro's famous live album on his website in 2012. Notaro has said that Clown Service was inspired by a friend's true story, meaning CK could've feasibly heard the same story from a different friend.
That said, this is hardly the first time SNL has been accused of lifting someone else's sketch.
Either way, you can watch both films below.
Since the sketch surfaced on Saturday night, comedian Tig Notaro has reminded us all of a sketch she made with the exact same premise. In both videos, a lonely person hires a birthday clown to come over and perform in their living room.
Notaro didn't mention SNL by name, but she reshared the video on Facebook with the following caption:
For all recent requests: Here is my short film CLOWN SERVICE (based on a true story) that has been screened at Largo at the Coronet in Los Angeles for over a year AND it premiered at Vulture's Comedy Festival in NYC as well as numerous film festivals around the country AND I am currently screening on my national tour. Please feel free watch and share.
It's worth noting that the two comedians have worked together in the past, with CK releasing Notaro's famous live album on his website in 2012. Notaro has said that Clown Service was inspired by a friend's true story, meaning CK could've feasibly heard the same story from a different friend.
That said, this is hardly the first time SNL has been accused of lifting someone else's sketch.
Either way, you can watch both films below.