Comedian Jerrod Carmichael faced backlash after a controversial gag on his new HBO series fell flat with audiences, prompting online criticism and the comedian’s disappearance from social media.
Carmichael’s Risky Humor
During a live stand-up moment on HBO’s “Jerrod Carmichael’s Reality Show,” Carmichael delved into the concept of “slave play” as a sexual kink, relating it to his relationship with his white boyfriend.
I sometimes joke to him that our relationship is like that of a slave and a master’s son — who, like, teaches me how to read by candlelight
He later addresses the groans and hisses by the audience by saying,
Yeah, he groans too ’cause he’s a good person… He doesn’t like that fucking joke. I like that joke. That’s my burden, I think that s**t’s hilarious!
Backlash
So was there no one in the editing room, not a single producer on this Jerrod Carmichael set, that said: pic.twitter.com/bz7MGJjE9g
— THEE Victim and Villain. (@AsToldByCarl) April 9, 2024
Following the episode’s premiere, the clip quickly circulated online, with critics deeming Carmichael’s humour self-hateful and condemning the controversial nature of race-based sexual slave play.
Social media users voiced their concerns, with one stating, “The fact that he has a platform to spew this mess makes him a danger to the Black Queer community.”
Of course, X (or formerly known as Twitter) searches turned up a bunch of memes and critisism for not only the joke he said but also for the Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show as a whole and how it was “hard to watch” for some people.
Fan Support
Like any issue floating around social media, there are people who defend Carmichael and the unique documentary he’s on. Fans say that the Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show was intended to be a depiction of how Carmichael navigated his life as a newly out gay man and it is up to the audience themselves to accept if the show is “real” or just entertainment.
Others also point out that Carmichael is known for highlighting awkwardness and honesty into his comedy as seen by his Emmy-award winning special, ‘Rothaniel’ and for his monologue during the Golden Globes where he called out the awards show’s alleged “racist practices”.
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