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Jerrod Carmichael‘s new docuseries, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, is out and it’s already drawing attention. First, Carmichael shared a discussion with his friend Tyler, the Creator about what happened when Carmichael told him he had “feelings” for him. (It didn’t go well.) Now, in the press run for the show, Carmichael reveals another previously unreported conflict, this time with fellow comedian Dave Chappelle.
In a new interview with Esquire, Carmichael says that Chapelle had words for him after he criticized the comedy icon for the transphobic jokes in his comedy special, The Closer. He says that Chappelle was mad enough that he wanted Carmichael to issue a public apology.
The tension between the two comics dates from Carmichael’s special, Rothaniel, which debuted on HBO in 2022. At the time Chapelle called it the “bravest special for 1996,” which Carmichael didn’t appreciate. A major plotline of his new show is his struggle to live his truth when his parents disapprove of his sexuality, though they both agreed to be filmed. His mother is shown in the trailer praying with him and asking for God to relieve him of his attraction to men.
“I still think saying you’re gay is saying something’s wrong with you,” he told Esquire. “And so much of comedy is just gay jokes. As long as people continue to laugh at it and mock it, and as long as it’s a punchline, it’s going to be scary for somebody. It’s scary for me.”
He says Chappelle was triggered when Carmichael responded to the controversy around The Closer, saying in another interview, “Chappelle, do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro? That’s the legacy? Your legacy is a bunch of opinions on trans sh–? It’s an odd hill to die on.… It’s just kind of played.”
Carmichael, who refers to Chappelle as an “egomaniac” isn’t making that apology anytime soon. Or ever.
It’s the latest in a barrage of shots fired in the Black comedy world, one that Chapelle and Carmichael have transcended. The viral Katt Williams interview on the Club Shay Shay podcast unveiled the tension between famous funnymen and women, making fans wonder if comedy can still help us navigate our lives if those making it are dealing with so much drama.
The eight-episode Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show is airing now on Max. Carmichael, who name drops J and B a few times in his conversation with Esquire (that’s Jay-Z and Beyoncé) says Jay called him an “X-Ray.”
“I think everybody in the show did it because of their love for me,” Carmichael says. “Everybody was reluctant. Nobody wanted to do it. Nobody wanted to be in the show.”
See how social media is reacting below.
