Sarah Silverman Says She Changed Her Comedy Style Over Trump

Sarah Silverman's comedy style has changed quite a bit since she first burst onto the scene -- and she says there's a very good reason for it ... Donald Trump.

The comedian recently hopped onto David Duchovny's 'Fail Better' podcast, where she explained how Trump becoming president inspired her to ditch the "arrogant ignorant" persona she became known for when in the 2000s.

She noted that her first comedy special and subsequent Comedy Central show was all centered on a character/shtick she was putting on ... which was an offensive caricature of herself.

While Sarah acknowledged that her audience stopped responding to her racist material, it was when Trump became the 45th Prez that she realized it was time to retire the whole bit.

As she put it, 45 "embodies [the arrogant ignorant] completely" ... and it wasn't funny anymore.

Sarah says was forced to realize her old material wasn't holding up in the changing world, adding ... "You really have to stay with what is funny to you and that hopefully changes over time because it means you've grown, or you've changed, or the world has changed and you've changed with it, or the world has changed and you haven't changed with it."

Sarah has been outspoken about Trump in recent years, using her platform to advocate for causes like the Women's March and reproductive rights.