Jerrod Carmichael Was Terrified of Being Seen, So He Made a Reality Show: ‘This May Be Unhealthy. It Is a Little Dangerous’
variety.comJerrod Carmichael in Austin, Texas, the morning of the SXSW premiere for the comedian and actor’s new HBO reality show, titled, appropriately, “Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show.” I’d chosen a quiet spot for the interview on the terrace outside his hotel, but when Carmichael clocks a few people within earshot, he starts to lead me as far away from prying eyes and ears as he can. “I’m always just looking for corners to hang out in,” he says, as he scans his surroundings. “I live for a little corner.” Carmichael is swimming inside a billowing black hoodie and equally roomy sweatpants, dazed enough after flying in from London the day before that he’s surprised to learn Daylight Saving Time started overnight.
Eventually, he homes in on a lone table and chairs situated on a patio space so blindingly bright in the Texas morning sun that no other human would ever want to sit there.
As seems to happen with Carmichael, it is an uncanny choice. In the eight-episode docuseries, which premieres on HBO and Max on March 29, Carmichael presents a self-portrait so relentlessly candid that it can at times feel lacerating — for Carmichael and many of those closest to him.
Working with his friend and collaborator Ari Katcher (“Ramy”) and documentarian Eli B. Despres (“Couples Therapy,” “Weiner”), Carmichael spent roughly 18 months documenting his life following his decision in 2022 to come out as gay on his Emmy-winning standup special “Rothaniel.” For the 36-year-old, that meant filming blistering confrontations with his father (about the family he started with another woman) and mother (about her unshakable refusal to accept his sexuality), as well as extravagantly awkward conversations with friends, like when he forces Tyler, the Creator.
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