Rachel Sennott’s Subway Take Has the Internet Fuming — Here’s Why

Rachel Sennott went on a subway, said the quiet part out loud, and the internet did what it does. Here is what happened, why people were upset, and where you might have seen her before.

The take that lit the fuse

'Everyone needs to get addicted to one thing at least once in their life to prove to themselves that they can break an addiction.'

That was Sennott on 'Subway Takes with Kareem Rahma,' tossing out her hot take like it was nothing. Rahma immediately pushed back with 'You don't want to play with the fire,' which, fair. Sennott doubled down for a beat, framing it through her own experience with nicotine. She said she ignored her dad's lifelong warnings about addiction, messed around with nicotine for about a year, and is now pulling away from it.

Why the backlash was immediate

The clip hit social on November 19, 2025 via the show's account, and the comments lit up. Rahma tried to anchor the conversation in real-world stakes — the kind that start with someone saying 'I'll just try these opioids...' — and a lot of viewers echoed that. People who have been through addiction or lost family to it called the take dangerous, privileged, and flippant. One response that summed up the mood: 'As someone who clawed out of addiction and wouldn't wish it on anyone, this is the most loser take I've ever seen.'

Others pointed out the obvious context: America is still in an opioid crisis. For many, this isn't thought experiment material — it's funerals and relapses. The idea that you should get 'hooked' for character development did not go over well.

Sennott's walk-back

After the blowback, Sennott tried to reframe what she meant. She dialed it down to more 'harmless' obsessions — like a weird workout routine — and said she had a year-long problem with laxatives. She also admitted the original take could be harmful: she basically said, once opioids came up, she knew that wasn't what she meant and called her take wrong and dangerous.

Wait, where do I know her from?

Right now, Sennott stars in and co-created the Hollywood satire 'I Love LA,' a comedy about friends reconnecting and realizing how much their lives have changed. It premiered November 2, 2025 and was already renewed for season 2.

Beyond that, she broke out with 'Shiva Baby' and made noise with 'Bodies Bodies Bodies' and 'Bottoms.' She's also popped up in shows like 'Teenage Euthanasia,' 'The Idol,' 'Call Your Mother,' and 'Holland.'

Quick hit filmography and scores

• Shiva Baby (2020) — directed by Emma Seligman; Bad Mensch Productions; IMDb 7.1/10; Rotten Tomatoes 96%
• Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) — directed by Halina Reijn; A24; IMDb 6.2/10; Rotten Tomatoes 86%
• Bottoms (2023) — directed by Emma Seligman; Orion Pictures; IMDb 6.7/10; Rotten Tomatoes 91%
• Saturday Night (2024) — directed by Jason Reitman; Columbia Pictures; IMDb 6.9/10; Rotten Tomatoes 77%

That old viral bit you may remember

Years before this subway moment, Sennott went viral with an exaggerated Valley Girl sketch on Instagram (she posts as @treaclychild) spoofing trailers for LA-set movies. The gag had her chirping about everyone in LA being on drugs and pushing eating disorders. It was intentionally abrasive satire — and, given this week's conversation, it's getting resurfaced.

My read: there are hot takes, and then there are live wires. Addiction isn't a DIY rite of passage, and most people don't get a test run. Curious what you think, though — sound off below.