Sara Bareilles Discovers ‘Giant’ Carcass in Chimney. ‘It’s Birthing Itself Backwards’
What’s behind the door you’ve never opened? For Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles, the answer turned out to be a maggot-filled skull — and a whole lot more.
The 46-year-old musician took to Instagram on March 18 to share what she jokingly called her directorial debut: a five-minute video documenting the moment she finally opened a long-sealed chimney clean-out door in her country house.
What she discovered was the decomposed remains of what she believes were multiple animals.
“My first short film,” she wrote in the caption.
True to form, Bareilles opened the video with a made-up tune narrating her discovery in real time.
“When you live in the country and you open a door ‘cause it’s always been closed every time before. And you see some stuff falling out you think, maybe I should see what’s inside,” Bareilles sang.
What she found inside quickly shifted the tone.
“And it’s a skull. And it’s a skull. It’s the bone of a maggot-filled skull!” she continued. “I don’t know what this thing is, it’s a giant dragon. What the f–k, what the f–k?”
Sara Bareilles Couldn’t Open the Door — Until Now
Bareilles went on to explain in the video that she has had the house for several years and “loves” it. But there was always one little door on her wall — known as a chimney clean-out door — that she could never open.
When she finally did, she learned that some doors are better left shut.
“It’s, you know, the carcass and remains of some kind of giant rodent,” she said in the video, adding that she thinks it might be a raccoon.
The rest of the video showed Bareilles tackling the cleanup herself, armed with a shovel. The “Love Song” singer was surprised at the sheer size of the carcass as she worked to remove it.
“This body is big. It’s like a turkey! Oh my god, there’s a long tail. It’s like birthing itself backwards,” she said in the video before claiming that there are multiple carcasses.
“That was traumatic,” she added once the remains were finally in a bag.
Despite the grim nature of the find, Bareilles handled the situation with her characteristic warmth and humor. She described her plans for the remains with a mix of reverence and comedy.
“And I want you guys to know, for what it’s worth, I am going to give these little creatures a little blessing and set them back into nature, even though they’re quite, very, very dead,” she said.
“And then I’m going to sage the place and take a shower,” she concluded.
The Internet Reacts to Her Gruesome Discovery
The video quickly became one of Bareilles’ most engaging posts ever. In a separate Instagram post, she joked about the unexpected virality.
“I don’t think I’ve ever posted anything online that has gotten more interaction than me removing cat carcasses from an old chimney in my house,” she wrote.
The comments section filled with reactions from fans and fellow celebrities alike. Comedian Wanda Sykes kept her response simple: “I would’ve just moved.”
Other users praised the video’s unexpected storytelling arc. “I feel like I just watched a legend being created. There are so many highs and lows, plot twists and quotable moments,” another user commented.
Even brands got in on the fun. “This is a very unexpected cameo for us,” PetCo added, which was fitting considering the bag she was using was from PetCo.
For anyone who has ever stared at a mysterious door, hatch, or panel in their home and wondered what was on the other side, Bareilles’ video serves as both entertainment and a cautionary tale.
Sometimes curiosity delivers exactly what you didn’t want to find — but at least it makes for a good story.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
