Things are going down in the comedy world. Comedian Jerrod Carmichael did an interview with GQ where he opened up about his personal life and called out fellow comedian Dave Chapelle for his comments on the trans community during his Netflix comedy special.
During the interview, Carmichael talked about his fallout with certain family members after revealing that he’s gay, which he talks more about in his comedy special Rothaniel. The tension among his family is what led him to create Rothaniel.
“I haven’t been home in…a year and a week,” Carmichael admitted to the outlet.
Later in the interview, he added, “it’s hard for a family to…just acknowledge the one part that you need acknowledged. My [15-year-old] niece is the only one that really did that. She hit me with a quick text, I see you. I hear you.” It was his niece that helped him appreciate today’s generation’s acceptance.
“I love this generation,” he stated. “I actually f**k with them, and f**k all those comedians that are going so hard against them.”
There’s a strong possibility Carmichael was referring to Chappelle. The veteran comedian has been in the public eye for his jokes on trans people like trans women genitalia and trans-women genitalia and trans-exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) during his Netflix special The Closer. Chapelle’s jokes that targeted trans people during the comedy special led Netflix employees to protest against their company. Additionally, Chappelle made a joke about the trans community the night of his attack on stage, saying the attacker was a trans man.
“Look, I get it. Everybody’s got to create a boogeyman to sell tickets. But it’s not true,” he said, referring to cancel culture. “Who’s getting canceled for what they’ve said? What does that mean, that people are mad on Twitter? Everybody’s fine. These grown men are fine. I think, a lot of times, people who offer nothing truthful or meaningful about themselves then complain about society at large and create this boogeyman. It’s like, listen, that’s the most urgent thing in your life? God bless you. I’m tired of hearing it. 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 s**t? It’s an odd hill to die on. And it’s like, hey, bro. Who the f**k are you? Who do you f**k? What do you like to do? Childish jokes aside, who the f**k are you? It’s just kind of played. But he’s choosing to die on the hill. So, alright, let him.”
As for his work, last month, the comedian released the first film he directed, On the Count of Three, a dark comedy about two friends who plan to commit suicide. He was also a part of the Carmichael Show.
So far, The Closer comedian hasn’t responded publicly to Carmichael’s words.
