Jerrod Carmichael: Don't Be Gay

This is what you get when you're surrounded by people who won't tell you truth.

What a horrible show. What a terrible comedian.

I put this on to fold ny laundry and was in disbelief on how incredibly bad it is.

It is as if you're watching the most boring person you could ever imagine yapping on and on about NOTHING AT ALL.

Who is this clown anyway??

Not funny, no personality, nothing intriguing or charming, no presence, a foul mouth, no class, no goals, no soul.

Geez I can't stand this kind of media. It's as if the studios are laughing at anyone stupid enough to fall for this crap.

Do not waste any time on him or these shows of his.

So the show starts with him talking about homophobia and racism. But then 5 minutes in he starts repeatedly using the r-word. How does anyone think this is acceptable nowadays? Being able to name the oppressions that affect you but then using slurs against another minority group is a really low blow - all just to try and get a laugh. Punching down is not funny, he needs better material.

First, I really enjoy the level of honesty and intimacy Jerrod brings to his specials and this one is no exception. People often refer to being honest as being brave, to which I usually roll my eyes, but here Jerrod is impressively brave in his openess. While his material was very personal, the appeal of it is universal. Loved the stuff about mothers and fully agree with his viewpoint. Also, he has a flair for tacking serious subjects while balancing them with hilarious points. As all good comics know, there is much light in the darkness and Jerrod does a great job of uncovering brilliant light here. He masterfully holds your attention from start to finish. The direction and setting is unique enough to keep from being conventional, but at the same time it's never off putting. There was a time where gay meant happy. I can say without any embarrasment that after watching this special I am truly gay.

We get it. You're gay, awkward , depressed and VERY different from all of us, so we need to pay attention because you're interesting and have interesting things to say and do - right? Wrong. Jerrod clearly has some talent. The guy can act , and has obvious comedic timing chops, but outside of that the guys has too much of a need for attention and validation to just allow himself to do what he wants to do without feeling the need to make the audience play therapist. Jerrod's real life emotional needs may work for a movie that just needs to use a face to convey humanity (and on those grounds it would work - he can act) but past that you just become stuck in the room with a guy who has tons of identity issues and thinks somehow you're going to help him figure it out if he makes you sit and listen to rant about nothing long enough.