Short gay comedian

The hour-long show drew headlines because the comedian publicly came out as gay to the audience in an act of vulnerability, honesty and storytelling brilliance. Last summer, Carmichael released a possibly too personal eight-part unscripted series called Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show that let viewers in on his infidelities, therapy sessions and love life.

The first few minutes of a stand-up set often determine the tone and where the comedian wants to take the audience throughout the performance. So, alright, let him. In a vacuum, this all speaks to the tension short comedians, artists and people who consume the art. Instead, he used Rothaniel as a safe space.

He needed the space to hold his feelings and worked through that hour to make the audience feel safe in their reactions and emotions. In his latest effort, the Carmichael we saw in Rothaniel has been gay mostly with the Carmichael from the past: one who uses his own darkest thoughts and antagonistic persona to cocoon his audience in discomfort.

But to what end? We saw it in real time for a season of television. For Carmichael, this is yet another playground to dance around in the discomfort. He briefly mentions that he is sometimes attracted to Black men, landing a tepid joke before moving on. Those familial moments do come back, though, especially when Carmichael returns to the source of his anxieties: his upbringing.

This feels like the comedian Carmichael that gave us something unique some years ago. Rothaniel was so brilliant that it gave Carmichael time to work through his contradictions and complexities.

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That seems worth the wait. David Dennis Jr. Up Next. Up Next From Culture.