Jerrod Carmichael on Dave Chappelle: "Do you know what comes up when you Google your name, bro?"

The Rothaniel stand-up addressed "cancel culture" and Chappelle as part of a larger GQ profile

By William Hughes  |  June 16, 2022 | 12:37am
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Jerrod Carmichael on Dave Chappelle:
Jerrod Carmichael Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation

Jerrod Carmichael has had a hell of a 2022; his most recent stand-up special, Rothaniel, has drawn strong reviews, both for Carmichael’s willingness to talk about his life—including coming out as gay—and for the deft way he talks about how those reveals have affected his relationship with his family in the process. Among other things, the special secured for Carmichael something that three years of running and starring in a sitcom for NBC apparently couldn’t: A guest-host spot on the most recent season of SNL.

And now a GQ profile, in which Carmichael touches on many aspects of his life in 2022, his friendship with Rothaniel director Bo Burnham, and that cantankerous old elephant in the comedy room, “cancel culture”—and, more specifically, self-described “canceled” performer Dave Chappelle.

“Everybody’s got to create a boogeyman to sell tickets,” Carmichael begins in the Chappelle-focused bit of the wide-ranging conversation. “But it’s not true.” He then moves from the vague to the specific: “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 shit? It’s an odd hill to die on…It’s just kind of played.”

Further:

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.

In addition to his Chappelle thoughts, Carmichael also talks about a whole lot of other stuff as part of the profile—including one of the wildest Hollywood parties we’ve ever heard of, in which he hung out with Quentin Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio…and apparently played Werewolf. Can you even imagine? We’d lose our damn minds.

 
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