Jenny Gorelick
Jenny Gorelick’s SORRY is one of those Fringe shows that arrives already vibrating with cultural voltage — a comedy about dating apps, apology culture, female shame, and the absurdity of modern romance that somehow manages to be both riotously funny and quietly devastating. Gorelick has turned her personal chaos into a kind of survival manual for the rest of us, drawing on experiences that range from the bleakly hilarious (“run it back?”) to the genuinely tragic (“my work crush got struck by lightning and died”).
SORRY isn’t just a show about dating — it’s about accountability, gendered guilt, the loneliness economy, and the stories women tell themselves to stay alive in a world that keeps demanding they apologise for existing. It’s sharp, self‑aware, and uncomfortably relatable. And, in true Fringe fashion, it’s also very, very funny.
1. Your show starts in the dating apps — that strange digital swamp where hope, delusion and red flags all blur together. What’s the moment on Hinge that made you think, “Right, this has to go in a show”?
Recently I got a like on Hinge from a man I had already dated. Who had already dumped me. It just said “run it back?” He is mentioned by name on the first page of my book about red flags. Like, page one. The Book of Red Flags. No. We will not be running it back.
2. You dated a man with “sorry mom” tattooed on his body who still couldn’t apologise. What did that relationship teach you about the apology gap — and about the men who think remorse is a personality trait?
Women will apologize for everything. We say sorry for saying sorry too much. And I’m sorry I said that about all women. But it seems like it would genuinely kill a man to apologize for one single thing. I’ve had men say “sorry you feel that way” — putting it right back on me!
But this relationship taught me something important: if I’m hurt, I can write about it. And it can be published in the New York Times. If you break my heart, it is the news!
3. SORRY digs into how women are conditioned to apologise for simply existing. When did you first realise you were saying sorry for things that weren’t your fault?
I’m still doing it. I feel sorry and guilty every single day of my life for every mistake I’ve ever made. I wish that weren’t true! And I think it goes all the way back to Eve. Women feel shame…biblically, because Eve is blamed for all of human sin. Even though all she did was have a healthy snack. It’s really not fair.
4. You’ve written about dating disasters for the New York Times and Cosmopolitan. What’s the story you still can’t believe happened — even though you lived it?
My work crush — a very sweet, cute, and tall guy I worked with — got struck by lightning and died. On a work trip. Which is the most tragic thing that has ever happened. He wasn’t doing what he loved. He was doing what he had to do — for health insurance. Because America. He never knew I had a crush on him. And now he never will.
Which is why you need to live out loud. You could be struck by lightning. And I mean that literally.
5. You made more money posting “tasteful thirst traps” on OnlyFans than writing your book. What did that reveal to you about the male loneliness economy — and the value men place on attention versus accountability?
What’s so interesting about “my guys” — which is what I lovingly call the men who pay money to see me in a bathing suit on OnlyFans — is that they could just go to a public pool. For free. I do worry about their finances. I don’t think it’s money they technically have, it is certainly not cash on hand, and if it weren’t going to me, it would be going to Polymarket. So honestly, I’d rather they spend their fake money on me than on sports betting. I’m a real girl. I need it more.
6. Your book The Book of Red Flags is basically a survival guide for modern romance. Which red flag do you think people ignore the most — even when it’s screaming in their face?
I hate to say it, but if it doesn’t feel like he likes you and you feel confused — he probably doesn’t like you. And if he’s being super attentive and communicative and complimentary? He still might not like you. That might just be love bombing. You have to wait a month to really know. It’s exhausting. I’m sorry.
7. You talk about confidence, shame, and the pressure on women to be endlessly likeable. What’s the moment in your life when you stopped performing likability and started performing honesty?
I’m afraid you’re overestimating me. I still need everyone to like me. One bad review might actually kill me, so let’s all just light a candle, charge our crystals (if you’re that kind of person), and pray for me.
8. Dating apps often feel like a sociological experiment. What did mapping America’s political divide through men‑with‑boats teach you about the country — and about dating?
If they own a boat, they’re Republican. If they don’t have their political affiliation listed on their profile, they’re Republican. And if they’re writing a fantasy novel in the style of Dune in their notes app — Libertarian.
9. You’ve turned personal chaos into comedy across stage, screen and print. What’s the line between oversharing and storytelling — and how do you know when you’ve crossed it?
Storytelling is oversharing. Some people are not going to like it (my younger brother). Some people are going to have to learn to be okay with it (my dad). And others are going to feel completely seen and heard (my fans). I’m doing it for them, but also for me. Am I crossing a line? Probably! But who gets to decide where the line is? My exes?!
I do feel terrible anytime anyone is upset with me — including the man with the ass tattoo who stood me up. But at the end of the day, he stood me up. And it is okay for me to turn that into art. That’s actually the best case scenario…maybe even better than if he’d actually shown up on the date.
10. At the heart of SORRY is the question of accountability. What do you hope audiences walk away reconsidering — about apologies, about dating, or about the stories we tell ourselves to survive modern romance?
I hope women leave feeling like they don’t need to be so hard on themselves. I hope men leave wanting to do better. And I hope everyone goes home and takes some amazing nudes for their grandchildren.
Jenny Gorelick: SORRY performs at Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 3rd – 30th August 2026. : Buy tickets here
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