Jerrod Carmichael Comes Out During New Comedy Special, 'Rothaniel'

essence.com:

Jerrod Carmichael is making perhaps his most personal revelations to date on his new standup special, Rothaniel. The special, which premieres on April 1 on HBO and HBO Max streaming at 9 pm, deals heavily with the topic of secrets – family secrets, open secrets, taboo topics we know full well in our communities, but know better than to openly speak about.

I had the fortune of being selected to attend a taping of the special, which took place in mid-February at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City.

In a shock to many in attendance, the comedian used his platform to publicly and definitively come out. With much of the standup exploring coming to terms with oneself by coming to terms with one’s lineage, Carmichael dropped the revelation amid an anecdote about discovering his father’s infidelity, and working up the nerve to tell him to reveal it to his mother before he would do so himself.

After the situation was resolved, Carmichael says he began to feel like a fraud himself due to hiding details of his own romantic life.“After that was out in the open, I was left alone feeling like a liar, because I had a secret,” he said, leaving the crowd in brief suspense. “One that I kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you.