Jerrod Carmichael Criticizes Dave Chappelle Over Transgender Jokes: 'It's an Odd Hill to Die On'
Carmichael's comments come just over two months after he came out as gay in his HBO stand-up special.
Jerrod Carmichael is taking Dave Chappelle to task over his derogatory comments toward the LGBTQ+ community made in his controversial Netflix special. Carmichael says, in a nutshell, Chappelle's legacy is tarnished, and it's his own doing.
Carmichael made the statement in a GQ profile, where the 35-year-old comedian opened up about how the only person who acknowledged him after he came out as gay in his HBO stand-up special back in April was his 15-year-old niece.
"She hit me with a quick text, 'I see you. I hear you,'" Carmichael said. "I love this generation. I actually f**k with them, and f**k all those comedians that are going so hard against them."
Carmichael went on to say certain comedians, for whatever reason, feel the need "to create a boogeyman to sell tickets." He scoffed at the idea before adding that it's these exact comedians "who offer nothing truthful or meaningful about themselves then complain about society at large and create this boogeyman."
Carmichael then mentioned Chappelle.
"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 s**t?" Carmichael asked rhetorically. "It's an odd hill to die on. And it's like, hey, bro. Who the f**k are you? Who do you f**k? What do you like to do? Childish jokes aside, who the f**k are you? It's just kind of played. But he's choosing to die on the hill. So, alright, let him."
Chappelle came under fire following the release of his Netflix special, The Closer. In that special, Chappelle said that "gender is a fact," adding, "Every human being in this room, every human being on Earth, had to pass through the legs of a woman to be on Earth." Chappelle also identified himself as "Team TERF," which stands for trans-exclusionary radical feminist, an ideology that excludes trans women as women.
The special sparked outrage, protests and even employee walkouts at the streaming giant. Chappelle would ultimately say he's willing to meet with the trans community, but only under certain conditions.
Carmichael came out as gay in his latest HBO special, Rothaniel. He made the declaration after telling a story about realizing his father had been cheating on his mother for years. He later looked out at the audience and said, "After that was out in the open, I was left alone feeling like a liar, because I had a secret. One that I kept from my father, my mother, my family, my friends, and you. Professionally, personally. And the secret is that I'm gay."
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