Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael ( ; born April 6, 1987) is an American comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. Born in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, he later moved to Los Angeles, where his career began in the early 2010s

comedy club A comedy club is a venue where a variety of comedic acts perform to a live audience. Although the term usually refers to establishments that feature stand-up comedy, stand-up comedians, it can also feature other forms of comedy such as improvisati ...

scene. Carmichael has since released four stand-up comedy specials on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

: ''Love at the Store'' (2014), ''8'' (2017), ''Rothaniel'' (2022), and ''Don't Be Gay'' (2025), the third of which won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. He also co-created, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the semi autobiographical NBC sitcom '' The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017). Carmichael made his feature film directorial debut when he directed, produced, and starred in the dark comedy film '' On the Count of Three'' (2021). In 2022, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for guest hosting an

episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a serial (radio and television), series intended for radio, television or Streaming media, streaming consumption. Etymology The noun ''episode'' is ...

of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. In 2023, Carmichael hosted the 80th Golden Globe Awards and appeared in the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

-winning film '' Poor Things''. In 2024, he was the subject of the HBO documentary series, '' Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show'', which had its world premiere at

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

Early life

Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael was born in

, on April 6, 1987. He has one older brother named Joe. He grew up poor, which is a frequent topic in his stand-up comedy work. In fifth grade, he hosted a morning news show on his elementary school's local access channel. In 2005, he graduated from Robert B. Glenn High School in Kernersville, North Carolina.

Career

Carmichael moved to Los Angeles at the age of 20 to pursue a stand-up comedy career, despite never having tried it before. His first time doing stand-up was at an open mic night at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood. Working his way up through the comedy clubs, he appeared in the "New Faces" showcase at the 2011 Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal. He appeared on the show '' The Goodwin Games'' (2013) and had his breakout role as an actor in the film '' Neighbors'' (2014). His first

stand-up comedy special, ''Love at the Store'' (2014), was directed by

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and author. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary ...

and filmed at The Comedy Store. Carmichael's second stand-up comedy special, ''8'' (2017), was directed by friend and fellow comedian

Bo Burnham Robert Pickering Burnham (born August 21, 1990) is an American stand-up comedian, musician, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber. Burnham's work combines elements of filmmaking with Comedy music, music, Sketch comedy, sketch, and stand-up comedy, co ...

and filmed in the Grand Lodge Room of New York's

Masonic Hall A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

. Carmichael next co-created, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the semi-biographical NBC sitcom '' The Carmichael Show'' (2015–2017), which was well-received and was notable for broaching topics including the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

movement,

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

issues, gun rights, politics, and the reality of being black in America. He also served as an executive producer for the Fox sitcom '' Rel'' (2018–2019) and directed Drew Michael's stand-up comedy special ''Drew Michael'' (2018), which was acclaimed for its "unusual style". Carmichael made an appearance on rapper

Tyler, the Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has been cited as an influential figure in alternative hip-hop during the 2010s. Tyler beca ...

's album '' Igor'' (2019), narrating the album using short phrases to find logic in the title character Igor's state of mind. That same year, he was hired by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

to co-write a film adaptation based on the '' Django/ Zorro'' crossover comic book series. He created, directed, produced, and starred in the HBO autobiographical documentaries ''Home Videos'' (2019) and ''Sermon on the Mount'' (2019). His feature film directorial debut, '' On the Count of Three'', competed in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival; Carmichael directed, produced, and starred in the film. His third HBO special, ''Rothaniel'' (2022), was also directed by Burnham and earned Carmichael the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. Two days after the release of ''Rothaniel'', Carmichael hosted ''

'' for the first time, for which he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. He also won the

Writers Guild of America Award The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility Th ...

for Best Television Writing in a Comedy/Variety Specials for his work writing ''Rothaniel.'' In 2023, Carmichael hosted the 80th Golden Globe Awards. That year, he also appeared in the

-winning film '' Poor Things'' alongside Emma Stone. In 2024, he starred in '' Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show'', an

documentary series revolving around his life. The series screened at

on March 10, 2024, before being released on HBO 19 days later. On May 24, 2025, his fourth special ''Don't Be Gay'' premiered on

's streaming service Max.

Influences

His early comedic influences were

George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, actor and author. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercultur ...

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

Richard Pryor Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

, and Sinbad.

Personal life

Carmichael lives in New York City. He has discussed his relationships with both men and women in his work, before

coming out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...

as gay in his comedy special ''Rothaniel'' (2022).

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Carmichael, Jerrod 1987 births 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century American comedians 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters African-American Christians African-American film directors African-American LGBTQ people African-American male writers African-American stand-up comedians African-American television writers American gay actors American LGBTQ comedians American LGBTQ writers American male film actors American male television actors American male television writers American male voice actors American sketch comedians American stand-up comedians American television producers American television writers Comedians from North Carolina Film producers from North Carolina Gay Christians Gay comedians LGBTQ people from North Carolina Living people Male actors from North Carolina Primetime Emmy Award winners Screenwriters from North Carolina Writers from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Writers Guild of America Award winners