Everyone's Been Farting
Celebrity Traitors! Saturday Night Live! Real Housewives of Salt Lake City! Criterion Collection?
“I can’t relax around new people. What if I fart?”
- Will Forte in The Four Seasons
It began on Wednesday, when actress Celia Imrie, who was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2023, farted during a challenge on Celebrity Traitors. “What just happened?” host Claudia Winkleman asked after everyone began laughing. “I just farted, Claudia,” she admitted, beginning to chuckle.
The Guardian called it “the fart that could save TV!” BBC ran a headline: “Celia Imrie’s fart steals the show on Celebrity Traitors,” while Deadline ran a story: “Celia Imrie’s Fart Helps Lift BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors To Series High Rating.” Her passing gas become a running gag throughout the remainder of the episode and was even brought up again in the next episode. During his exit interview, even ousted faithful Tom Daley couldn’t not bring it up.
On Saturday, Ashley Padilla, a breakout newbie on Saturday Night Live, performed in a sketch where her character, Laura, a ponytail-wielding executive, has a severe flatulence outburst after her co-workers’ attempt to surprise her for her birthday.
“Submitting a fart sketch should have you escorted out of the building but Ashley’s long, pained reaction, just hanging on her for nearly 40 seconds, is the funniest thing the show has done in ages,” wrote That Week in SNL. It’s true; the seemingly juvenile sketch ended up being the night’s best offering thanks to Padilla’s commitment to the bit. But she wasn’t the only one passing gas that day!
Earlier, Criterion Collection released their latest “Closet Picks” featuring actor Tracy Letts, who people online are saying let out a toot mid-video, which some are calling a “king move.” It’s barely audible and it does not go recognized by Letts himself, but that hasn’t stopped many for praising the Pulitzer Prize and Tony-winning playwright for letting one rip.
And though three instances is enough to cite a trend, we got yet another during a Tuesday night’s Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. “You’re a little bit mean,” Mary tells Angie. “Like when you made fun of my fart.” Angie is confused, and the music shifts. “Made fun of your fart?” Then we get a flashback in which we see Mary toot, but when we return to present day, she’s blaming it on Angie’s dog. “We should know the fart between my fart and a dog fart!” she insists. “If you farted and I smelled it, I would never make fun of you. And you don’t even know if I smelled your fart before.”
It continues. “You didn’t smell my fart,” Mary insists. “I didn’t smell your fart, but you acknowledged that you farted…” Angie explains. “I said that I had gas!” Mary counters, saying she was offended by “it,” which I guess refers to Angie acknowledging the fart after Mary previously farted then told the ladies. “It just came out… I don’t know why I’m farting,” right after farting. Regardless of Mary acknowledging her flatulence, farting is clearly having a big week!
So what gives? I love more than anything that farts are for some reason in the air this week — culturally, I mean,” SNL’s Ashley Padilla tells me. “I pitched my fart idea on a Monday to Alison Gates and then later in the week saw your post about someone farting on Celebrity Traitors and I couldn’t believe it. Especially since she farted from fear just like my character was about to do live on television in 48 hours. I think it honestly gave me a little courage.” If only Celia Imrie knew the impact her fart would have on fellow televised flatulence, perhaps she’d have felt less embarrassed!
Padilla was still nervous for the sketch, even if Imrie’s toot had given her a modicum of security.
“I was scared that it was too juvenile and that the audience would hate it and maybe even think less of me for it. I told Andrew Dismukes how nervous I was while we were waiting for another sketch to begin. ‘Everybody loves a fart joke,’ he said. ‘Everybody.’”
And with that encouragement, she felt ready to not just fart (editor’s note: she wasn’t really farting, but rather a sound effect was used), but really let it rip.
But why are they funny despite how juvenile they are? I asked Padilla.
“I think my answer stems from what I find funny in general, which is a character taking something very, very seriously that is inherently very, very small. And nothing is as small and as dumb as a fart. Nothing reminds you faster that you are a human than passing gas that makes also a funny sound?! And sometimes smells like shit?! We live in a culture that constantly needs and wants to be perceived as ‘put together.’ We post our best shots on Instagram. We don’t use the guy we’re dating’s bathroom before we’ve been dating for quite some time, as if we are somehow tricking him into thinking we’ve never shit in our lives. We are constantly in control of our image. Constantly in control of how others look at us. So how funny is it, that you can do your makeup, curl your hair, be the hottest bitch in the fucking world... and then a horn sound, with the stench of feces, can come out of your butt within the matter of one second and ruin the entire thing. That is what I find funny…”
Then, she quickly added:
“I’m sorry for everything I have said here.”
I couldn’t help but be reminded of another iconic television fart, one let out by Carrie Bradshaw in Season 1 of Sex and the City while in bed with Big. “Was that you?” he asks. She can’t stop repeating, “Oh my God,” as she submerges herself under the covers. “It might be worse under there,” he tells her, laughing hysterically.
But she doesn’t find it funny. She jumps out of bed, covered in the sheet still, and walks right into the bathroom door, which only causes Big to laugh even harder. “I was mortified,” she tells the camera (this is when they did direct-to-camera confessionals). But later in the episode, he sets out a whoopie cushion on her chair and they finally have a laugh over it.
Because it’s embarrassing, yes, but it’s also funny. And in this world: God, could we use the laugh.
100% agree! Farts are always funny. Loved that SNL sketch.