Exclusive: Sarah Silverman Shows Off Celebrity Impressions in THE DRAWING ROOM WITH MO WELCH

Comedian Sarah Silverman is adding "celebrity impersonator" to her list of skills. The stage and screen performer, who made her Broadway debut in All Out: Comedy About Ambition earlier this year, demonstrates two of her impressions in an upcoming episode of The Drawing Room with Mo Welch.

Hosted by the comedian and New Yorker cartoonist, The Drawing Room with Mo Welch is a new interview show that combines art and conversation. Watch an exclusive clip from Silverman's episode of the PBS series, in which the comic shows off her silent impressions of Robert De Niro and Neve Campbell. Meanwhile, Welch offers her unique take on "Roseanne auditioning for Joe Pesci’s part in Goodfellas."

In each 15-minute episode, Welch and a notable guest sketch one another while discussing their lives, work and creative journeys. As the portraits take shape, so does a candid conversation, in which they share childhood memories, creative hurdles, and moments of self-discovery. Each episode ends with a portrait reveal, offering a look at how the host and guest see one another.

The bi-weekly series kicked off with Brett Goldstein's episode, which is now streaming on the PBS YouTube channel. The next episode, featuring Silverman, premieres July 10. Future episodes feature appearances from musician Vijay Gupta, and comedians Jon Gabrus, Demi Adejuyigbe, Margaret Cho, Aparna Nancheria, Tig Notaro, Stephanie Allynne, and Adam Conover. Take a look below at the full guest lineup and episode breakdowns.

Produced by Second Peninsula in association with PBS SoCal, The Drawing Room with Mo Welch is designed as a scalable, social-first format built for digital audiences while maintaining PBS's commitment to meaningful conversation and creative expression. The series producer and director is Steve Goldman. Executives in charge for PBS are Adam Dwylewski and Estefania De Leon.

Episode Breakdown:

Episode 1: Brett Goldstein was NOT Ready for This Audition
Now streaming on PBS YouTube Channel
When your guest is also your friend, the rules change.  Brett Goldstein and Mo Welch sketch each other while swapping stories about the before times, Mamma Mia tryouts, and why great comedy always hurts a little.

Episode 2: Sarah Silverman
Premieres July 10 on PBS YouTube Channel
Sarah Silverman joins Mo for a conversation about mentors, marriage, and the death of Sarah’s father. As they sketch each other, she reflects on how there’s never an age when you stop needing your parents. THE EXCHANGE is funny, reflective, and quietly moving.

Episode 3: Vijay Gupta
Premieres July 24 on PBS YouTube Channel
Virtuoso violinist Vijay Gupta discovered perfect pitch at three and was on Oprah at eight. Now he plays Beethoven on Skid Row, and Hallelujah in Mo’s studio on The Drawing Room. 

Episode 4: Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne
Premieres August 7 on PBS YouTube Channel
Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne are The Drawing Room’s first married couple — they skip Mo entirely and draw each other instead. Between bits about their decades of marriage and “unhinged” parenting, Tig opens up about “Come See Me in the Good Light,” her Sundance-winning documentary on poet Andrea Gibson’s final year, and what it taught her about facing death without fear.

Episode 5: Adam Conover
Premieres August 21 on PBS YouTube Channel
Adam Conover grew up in a house full of scientists — a marine-biologist dad, a science-educator mom — and built a career explaining things to people who didn’t ask. He and Mo get into the third-grade art-class trauma that ended his painting career, his love of yelling about AI, and why he recently switched back to shooting on film: “reality is not made of pixels.”

Episode 6: Margaret Cho
Premieres September 4 on PBS YouTube Channel
Raised in her parents' pioneering gay bookstore in San Francisco, Margaret Cho attended her
first Pride in 1978 and found her comedic voice at an open mic where audience members could throw tomatoes at the performers. With Mo, she reflects on anti-authoritarian comedy, chosen family, and the lifelong freedom that comes from embracing exactly who you are.

Episode 7: Demi Adejuyigbe
Premieres September 18 on PBS YouTube Channel
Demi Adejuyigbe’s data-scientist parents had one earnest question when he announced he wanted to be a comedian: “Are you funny?” He and Mo debate his 24-hour-old goatee (villain energy, mixed reviews), the collaborative joy of writers’ rooms, and why he’s not actually worried AI will ever be funny.

Episode 8: Jon Gabrus
Premieres October 2 on PBS YouTube Channel
Jon Gabrus arrives convinced he can't draw, but quickly proves he's got plenty of stories. He and Mo talk Long Island, men's league rugby, why "lifeguarding is super important to me," and debate whether Mo deserves a Tooth Fairy payout.

Episode 9: Aparna Nancherla
Premieres October 16 on PBS YouTube Channel
Aparna Nancherla was such a shy kid that her mom made her call in the family’s pizza order just to practice talking to strangers — a fear she’s since parlayed into a career of voiceovers and a book about silencing her inner critic. She and Mo swap horror stories from the open-mic trenches and land on her hard-won mantra: who cares?

Photo Credit: PBS

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