Jerrod Carmichael recalls the joke he made that left Ellen speechless & NOT in a good way

Jerrod Carmichael appeared on Late Night With Seth Myers on Wednesday night. Carmichael is doing publicity at the moment for his new docu-series, Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show. After its debut last week, new episodes drop on HBO every Friday.

The show already stands out for the level of honesty and candidness Carmichael brings to the genre. The award-winning stand-up comedian is shown chatting to men on Grindr and inviting some to come over for hook-ups.

He talks to his parents about his sexuality and how their attitudes hurt him when younger. He also confronts a friend, Tyler, the Creator. Carmichael used to have a crush on Tyler, but the latter was dismissive toward Carmichael when he told him.

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Myers complimented Carmichael for attempting to be honest and authentic on camera. Carmichael said it hadn’t always been so easy or welcome.

He recounted appearing on The Ellen Show after he’d officially come out on his 2022 stand-up special, Rothaniel. It was the last season of the show before it was axed, after DeGeneres became embroiled in what Carmichael quips were #MeanToo allegations.

Excited to appear on ‘The Ellen Show’

Carmichael says appearing on the show was a big deal to him. He regards Ellen as an “incredible comic” and queer role model. She came out at a time when it was much harder to do so. He says his mom also watched Ellen, so it marked another level of success for him in her eyes.

Given Ellen’s own ethos of celebrating queerness, he was sure he’d get a warm welcome on the show. And to start with, he did. The audience and Ellen were both receptive. The atmosphere was “warm and fuzzy” as they talked about him being gay and coming out.

Carmichael felt increasingly at ease and able to open up.

“I was talking about being in therapy, and how I’m exploring a lot of things in therapy. And Ellen was asking about my love life. She asked if I was seeing anybody, and I thought it was a good time to make a joke,” Carmichael explained.

“So I was like, ‘You know, Ellen, it’s funny you mention that because I actually, recently realized in therapy that if a guy doesn’t somehow remind me of my mom I can’t get –––!” (The word he used was bleeped out.)

Carmichael says the mood changed in an instant.

“The audience went silent. The boom mic operator pulled the mic away from my face. I looked over to Ellen for support,” he says, still embarrassed at the memory.

“She was just ‘Jesus Christ!’” he recalls, demonstrating a shocked-looking DeGeneres. “And then it got cut out of the show.”

Carmichael realizes with hindsight he had badly misunderstood his afternoon audience on that particular occasion.

Watch Carmichael chatting with Seth Myers below (from the 8-minute mark).

You can also watch Carmichael’s original interview with Ellen in 2022 below.

Who is Jerrod Carmichael?

Jerrod Carmichael was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on April 6, 1987. He has often talked about growing up poor in his comedy routines. The new show explores how his parents struggled with his sexuality. In one part, Carmichael tells his dad that when he came out to him, his father acted like someone had died. This hurt Carmichael deeply.

In another part, he’s seen discussing his sexuality with his Christian mom. When he came out to her, she told him he was going to hell.

Carmichael relocated to Los Angeles at the age of 20 to pursue his dream of being a stand-up comic.

His first HBO stand-up comedy special was Love at the Store (2014), directed by Spike Lee.

This was followed by the NBC sitcom, The Carmichael Show (2015-2017), and a second comedy special, 8 (2017). Rothaniel arrived in 2022. It won him an Emmy. He also hosted the 80th Golden Globe Awards that year.

Watch a trailer for Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show below.

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