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Watch: Sarah Silverman ribs Michael Sheen over Welsh flag that looks like ‘drawing by a 12 year old’

14 Feb 2022 2 minute read
Sarah Silverman, left, and the Welsh flag, right

Sarah Silverman has ribbed Michel Sheen over the flag of Wales, saying that it looks like a drawing made by a 12 year old.

Speaking on her podcast, the American comedian who previously dated the Welsh actor and political activist, said that she used to tease him over the dragon on the flag.

“I used to make fun of him all the time, and he would get so mad because he’s such a proud Welshman,” she said. “And Wales is fucking beautiful.

“But I don’t know if you’ve ever seen the Welsh flag, but it makes me laugh so hard.

“It honestly looks like a drawing that a 12 year old boy drew on the cover of his Mead notebook.

“It literally just looks like, ‘I’m going to draw a dragon!’. Let’s make our flag a dragon, I’ll draw it! I’m going to draw a dragon!

“And Michael would get so mad, but look at it. I’m going to draw a dragon and we’ll use it as our flag for a whole country!

“Um, I’m an asshole.”

Her comments drew mixed reactions by her followers.

Katy Gulliver said: “See I’d have been right pissed off about that…. except you recognised us as a country. So I’m pretty much beaming ear to ear. Besides who cares if it looks like it was drawn by a kid it’s got a dragon on it!”

Christoph Auckland described her comments as “treasonous and will not stand!” adding “I immediately challenge Sarah Silverman to try and drawn the darn thing – it’s hard!”

Rob Harries said: “And the US flag looks like a bored toddler used a ruler for the first time and then added stars because he thought they were pretty. And because he was bored.”


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kaiskama
kaiskama
2 years ago

Sarah who ??
Never heard of her

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  kaiskama

I have, she once did a song for her then partner (not Michael Sheen, I forget who) called ‘I’ve been f*cking Matt Damon’.

M.R.
M.R.
2 years ago
Reply to  kaiskama

Me neither, and therefore don’t give a fig what she thinks. The American flag WAS designed by a child/teenager.

Richard 1
Richard 1
2 years ago

and the Union Jack is a composite of three flags but NOTHING representing Wales AND it has long and justly been known across the world as “the butcher’s apron”

Jeff33
Jeff33
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard 1

One flags of a saint who probably didn’t exist and another of a Lyddian saint elevated to such for killing a dragon … what more do you need to know?

Richard 1
Richard 1
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeff33

Good point! I’m still trying to find out where I can buy a Butcher’s Apron apron to wear while I’m chopping leeks

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  Richard 1

Oh please stop get wound up over nothing! With all that the UK government is doing to us you’re worried about THIS!

Richard 1
Richard 1
2 years ago
Reply to  Barry Pandy

Not wound up. Not worried – not about THIS! but it’s a handy symbol of lots of stuff we should be wound up about

Rob Jones
Rob Jones
2 years ago
Reply to  Barry Pandy

I agree. People shouldn’t get their knickers in a twist over lighthearted banter.

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago

It sort of depends which version of the flag we’re talking about; there was one in the 80’s-90s (this may be slightly wrong as it was I’ve tried to forget it) that I referred to as The Dog. I think it was contrived by some Westminster tourist agency, not in Wales. The dragon looked like some roly-poly puppy thing made of plasticine, no detail, and with a particularly idiotic facial expression, and the forefoot held up was more in the stance of ‘please don’t hurt me!’ rather than the stern ‘stop now!” of the real dragon. It was used quite… Read more »

Rhian Davies
Rhian Davies
2 years ago

Well, for me the Welsh flag hints at how truly gifted so many Cymreig (Welsh cultured) primary teachers and parents are! During my early years before 8, I was born and raised in Cymru, and learnt first-hand how magical Cymreig teachers can be. Because with their Christian and/or Celtic beliefs so many Cymreig people look at the child as an individual, and they help them to develop themselves in as fulfilling way as the school and community can. I was encouraged to paint and sing, and was winning competitions and coming 2nd. So if the Cymreig flag reminds folk of… Read more »

GW Atkinson
GW Atkinson
2 years ago

No wonder he dumped her.

hdavies15
hdavies15
2 years ago

Nothing quite so sick making as a member of one harassed minority attacking another minority, especially when it’s done for “fun”. Ms Silverman would do well to check out her own fairly recent heritage if she is so lacking in awareness..

CJPh
CJPh
2 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Mr. Davies, we often agree. Sometimes we disagree. This is one of those times.

It’s a joke. A very light-hearted one, at that.

CJPh
CJPh
2 years ago
Reply to  hdavies15

Sorry to answer on his behalf, but it’d do well to have some steel-manning. Were this a straight-faced comment and not a joke from a comic, Mr. Davies’ point here would have merit. It’s to do with her Jewish heritage. Given that she has heritage of one of the most perpetually attacked groups in history, perhaps she shouldn’t seek to divert harm by attacking another group. Problem here is that it was a joke. And, as she shows rarely nowadays, a decent one.

Paul
Paul
2 years ago

The first of the 5 Basic Principles of Good Flag Design is “Keep it simple, so simple that a child can draw it from memory”, so what’s her problem? 🙂

R W
R W
2 years ago
Reply to  Paul

Indeed, most of the flags from around the world could be drawn by a child. In fact, the Welsh flag would be more difficult to draw than most.

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago
Reply to  R W

This is unfortunately true. I am a flag enthusiast and Paul’s comment is quite right. And so is RW’s. Mind you I wouldn’t necessarily say *most* flags are easily drawn – ok, all the bicolours/tricolours are, but some of them – a fairly large minority – are just idiotically complex, more so than the Ddraig Goch which would be easy to mock up in an emergency. I wouldn’t even say the Union Flag is actually *easy* to draw.

Cai Wogan Jones
Cai Wogan Jones
2 years ago

Stupid and boorish to mock anyone for the symbols of their national identity — or indeed symbols of any central components of their identity. Religion or language, for example.

Just plain twp.

Last edited 2 years ago by Cai Wogan Jones
JAD
JAD
2 years ago

She’s no Stewart Lee. I’d say her level of comedy is also roughly that of a 12 year old. Good move Michael Sheen.

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  JAD

Mean

Kerry Davies
Kerry Davies
2 years ago

And the punchline is; “I’m an asshole.”
Fair comment, innit?

Jeff33
Jeff33
2 years ago

Stars and stripes … could have been drawn by a redneck with a bingo robber and a ruler.

Jeff33
Jeff33
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeff33

dobber

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeff33

The rednecks would draw the stars and bars not the stars and stripes

Pob lwc
Pob lwc
2 years ago

Snowflake Nats can’t take a joke, as usual.

tired of this
tired of this
2 years ago
Reply to  Pob lwc

I’m sort of guessing you live in Western England, yeah?

Barry Pandy
Barry Pandy
2 years ago

I think some people need to calm down, it was intended as a joke and a harmless one at that.

And please stop mentioning the fact that she is Jewish, it is irrelevant.

Gerwyn
Gerwyn
2 years ago

Chill out guys. It’s a bit of fun and by virtue of talking about us as nation she actually helps lift our profile and underpins our status as a world nation! Most people I meet globally love our flag. Laugh it off – she also notes Cymru is beautiful and loves us. Better to mocked than not talked about – plus we know our flag is way cooler and more symbolic than the UJ and other noring flags!

Malcolmrj
Malcolmrj
2 years ago

I heard that the Welsh flag was voted the coolest flag on the planet. . Say no more

Pete Cuthbert
Pete Cuthbert
2 years ago

Just a thought, but if this lady is serious (probably not) it just shows that she has done no homework on the topic of heraldry. The Welsh Dragon is a heraldic dragon and in coats of arms and such from down the ages there is what one might call a degree of ‘liberty’ in the representation of the featured animals. Personally I like the dragon as it is shown.

CapM
CapM
2 years ago

Those of you who are getting worked up over this – just be thankful that Sarah Silverman isn’t aware of the petition (a story covered by Nation-Cymru) to draw a penis on the Draig Goch.

I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
2 years ago
Reply to  CapM

omg! shush.

I.Humphrys
I.Humphrys
2 years ago

Pob, just use the one aka.

Rob Jones
Rob Jones
2 years ago

She does actually have a point. I’m a Welshman, and I care a great deal about Wales. But from an aesthetic perspective, the colours don’t really go well together, and perhaps the dragon is a bit OTT. I’m not saying we should change it, or that we can’t be proud of it. I think we are grown up enough to take some lighthearted criticism of our flag on the chin, aren’t we? It’s also worth noting that Silverman and Sheen were a couple for a number of years, and she is a comedian after all. She is actually a good… Read more »

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