Jerrod Carmichael is “actually happy” now.
In a recent conversation with Late Night’s Seth Meyers, seen below, the comedian, whose latest special Don’t Be Gay hit HBO Max in May, touched on the existential crisis some artists may find themselves in when faced with such happiness. But first, he was asked about his boyfriend of three years, Michael.
Specifically, Meyers pointed out that Don’t Be Gay marks the first special Carmichael has released since the relationship began, leading to a question about whether Michael had shared any thoughts on the material about him.
“He wasn’t allowed to come to any show,” Carmichael said. “He saw it for the first time at the taping and it’s because when you’re a comedian, you’re writing about your life. ... I didn’t want him there judging it because it’s my right to express how I feel about our relationship to the audience. He would have come and been like, ‘That’s not how it went.’ So I didn’t want that.”
According to the Emmy winner, this crucial approach to protecting his material owes much to both Jerry Seinfeld and free-associative therapy.
“I started free-associative therapy during COVID,” Carmichael told Meyers on Monday, referencing the psychoanalytic therapy practice focused on allowing the unfiltered sharing of thoughts, coherent or not, between therapist and patient. “My standup shows are very free-associative. I need to feel free to say exactly what I mean, exactly how I feel—even if it’s wrong—without the consequence of it being right or wrong or correct. … I need that.”
Talking more about his and Michael’s relationship deeper into the interview, Carmichael said things have been “really great” between them. See the full conversation above.
Michael’s name will be familiar to those who watched Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, which premiered at last year’s SXSW and featured Tyler, The Creator. Next up, Carmichael is set to serve as an executive producer on Apple TV+’s I’m Glad My Mom Died, inspired by Jennette McCurdy's hit memoir of the same name.
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