American stand-up comedian Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael has recently just started to experience life as an out and proud gay man.
The native of North Carolina is known for his HBO stand-up comedy shows “Love at the Store,” “8,” and “Rothaniel.” He also appeared in the semiautobiographical NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show, which he co-created, co-wrote, and produced.
In his most recent comedy special, “Rothaniel,” Carmichael exposed a long-held secret about his sexuality. While going into his family’s history of holding secrets, the comedian revealed that he was gay.
Just weeks after his big announcement, Carmichael has shared updates about his life out of the closet and how it has relieved a major load from his shoulders.
‘I Think I Feel Freer’
Before his huge reveal on the HBO project, the North Carolina native had only discussed having relationships with both men and women during his documentary series “Home Videos.” This prompted the suggestion that he was fluid sexually until he openly admitted that he was gay in the comedy series.
His recent stance on his sexuality has now put things into perspective not only for fans of Carmichael but also for the comedian himself, as he recently explained how his revelation had broken some shackles he had been bound with.
“I think I feel freer,” Carmichael said during his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday. “After coming out, you realize that, like — I realize a lot of people are in the closet about something. Through the process. It’s inhibiting. Like, I realize I take better pictures since coming out because I’m not worried about looking gay. Was I not smiling because smiling is gay? So silly.”
A Life Of Honesty
Although adjusting to life following his sexuality reveal has made Carmichael feel more liberated, the comedian stated that he still hasn’t gotten the hang of it and wondered how times of him lying about himself led to further falsehoods along the line.
“A lie begets more lies and it’s all you can think — at least me, it’s all I can think about, the things I’m not saying,” he added.
Much of this weakness might be attributed to growing up in a family full of secrets, where lies were told freely. The comedian has since learned to live his life one lie-free day at a time.
“It’s like being in, you know, A.A. or something. Like, one day at a time. Like, I didn’t lie today. Today I didn’t lie, it’s OK,” Carmichael admitted.
Directorial Debut
Apart from being a comedian, Carmichel has also dipped his hands into acting and filmmaking. He recently made his directorial debut in an Ari Katcher and Ryan Welch screenplay, “On the Count of Three.”
Carmichael and Christopher Abbott co-starred in the film as two friends who strike a suicide pact and set out to do unfinished business on one final day. Tiffany Haddish, J. B. Smoove, Lavell Crawford, and Henry Winkler round out the cast, with David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, and Tom Werner serving as co-producers.
On January 29, 2021, the film had its global debut at the Sundance Film Festival. It had its theatrically and digital release via Annapurna Pictures and Orion Pictures on May 13, 2022. It has since garnered mostly positive responses from reviewers and fans of the comedian.
What’s Next For Carmichael
Following his latest HBO special and his directorial debut film, Carmichael is set to have several budding projects on the horizon. As per IMDB, the 35-year-old is slated to star in an upcoming untitled Nate Bargatze Venture.
The narrative of the film isn’t known; however, it will revolve around the life of a comedian who returns to his hometown of Tennessee. Along with this film, Carmichael will portray Harry Astley in Yorgos Lanthimos’ upcoming film “Poor Things,” in which he will also reunite with Abbott.
Based on Alasdair Grey’s 1992 eponymously titled novel, “Poor Things” follows Bella Baxter (Emma Stone), who commits suicide by drowning in a bid to escape her violent husband. She is later brought back to life by her genius scientist father, Dr. Godwin Baxter (William Dafoe).
The film is slated for a 2022 release.
