Dont be gay

But don’t worry too much about him. He immediately begins chatting about the reality series and his struggles with internalized homophobia and rampant infidelity. There was a time where gay meant happy.

JERROD CARMICHAEL: DON’T BE GAY: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Jerrod Carmichael won an Emmy for his 2022 stand-up special, Rothaniel.

People often refer to being honest as being brave, to which I usually roll my eyes, but here Jerrod is impressively brave in his openess. Being able to name the oppressions that affect you but then using slurs against another minority group is a really low blow - all just to try and get a laugh. But then 5 minutes in he starts repeatedly using the r-word.

As all good comics know, there is much light in the darkness and Jerrod does a great job of uncovering brilliant light here. But no. As he puts it, “I’m gay, and n—-s don’t read.” He remembers how difficult it was to “be straight,” especially in early 2000 when D’Angelo’s extremely horny “How Does It Feel” music video premiered.

However, these issues weren’t enough to drive him to therapy. Though it seems unlikely Carmichael will ever have a close bond with his mother again, he seems to be at a point of acceptance. Carmichael is content to share his personal shame while exposing the social ills that have also tried to stop him from being his true self. The backlash to his white lover – or specifically, the moment he sucked the toes of a hookup on-screen pushed him to finally see mental health professional.Edited by James Atkinson, who alternates between shots of the “Poor Things” actor in extreme close-ups and more distant in-crowd shots, the audience is taken on a hysterical, sometimes deeply uncomfortable, but beautifully blunt journey. 

Dressed in jeans, a simple white tank top and some Birkenstocks, Carmichael appears more self-assured than ever.

Even if it makes him think about both open relationships and weddings in a whole new light. Not at all.

It’s about how comedians and other celebrities get caught up reading online comments about them, no matter how good or how critical. Critics were decidedly more split over the success of his follow-up project, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show.

For his fourth HBO comedy special, filmed this February in NYC, Carmichael opens up about what his love life is like now (happy), and how he’s dealing with his family in North Carolina, all of whom rely on him financially even if they might not support him back emotionally.

What Comedy Specials Will It Remind You Of?: You don’t often find a comedian releasing a critically-acclaimed yet much-debated special, and then coming back to talk about the aftereffects of it.

How does anyone think this is acceptable nowadays? Even amid these deeply uncomfortable and sometimes cringy moments, Carmichael’s self-awareness is always palpable. 

In this “Rothaniel” follow-up, Carmichael has never seemed more confident.

And it’s about dealing with his mom’s turn away from him and toward Jesus.