Jerrod Carmichael has opened up about his unrequited love for his best friend, Tyler, the Creator.
The comedian embarks on a “tumultuous quest for love, sex and truth” in his universally acclaimed new HBO series Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show, with the first episode exploring the awkward aftermath of when he confessed his love to the Grammy-winning rapper.
During a stand-up gig featured in the series, Carmichael tells the audience that he “fell in love” with his “best friend”: “1 out of 10, don’t recommend. I knew I had to tell him.
“Things started getting kind of weird between us. I had these feelings, so I texted him.
“I remember saying, ‘I know you didn’t ask for this, but somewhere down the line I developed feelings for you and I don’t know what to do with that.’ Then I immediately turned my phone off and went into therapy.”
Carmichael jokes that his therapist was “thrilled” and “excited” with his admission: “He was like, ‘Man, this s**t never happens in real time.’”
He continued to reminisce on Tyler’s response, which was via “a voice note. I was so nervous. It was like six seconds. He said, ‘Hahahaha, you stupid bitch.’ And I don’t really know what that means.”
Although the love wasn’t reciprocated, Carmichael invited Tyler as his date to the Emmy Awards, where he won Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special for his stand-up Rothaniel.
Tyler declined, responding in a text: “Dammmm, I shoot all day. Thanks, tho, that is lit.”
Towards the end of the episode, Carmichael and Tyler discuss the friction all of the above caused in their relationship.
“It’s because I told you I had feelings for you, and we didn’t talk about it ever,” said Carmichael. “That was, like, weird. I don’t know if it was just too awkward to talk about or just too…
“I don’t know. I feel like you left me hanging out there a little bit.”
Tyler admitted that he couldn’t remember how he responded to Carmichael, with Carmichael informing him that he “laughed” and called him a “stupid bitch”.
“I did,” Tyler replied. “Yeah, I did, and I think I just brushed it off. Getting news like that and then avoiding it is a way to avoid change.”
Carmichael’s love for him was a “lot to download”, with Tyler sharing that he still doesn’t “know how to respond” because of their familial bond: “When you told me that I’m like, ‘Nah. I don’t know, not like that. That’s like a brother. That man’s like family, like true family.”
In a recent cover interview with Esquire, Carmichael described their conversation in the series as “so wild and important” and lauded Tyler for agreeing to appear. “It’s a conversation that’s never happened before on TV, and he knows that I’m insane, I guess, so he was down for something chaotic.”
As for the current status of their relationship, Carmichael said: “Yeah, I don’t know. I think we’re okay. I’m in New York now, so I don’t see him that often but still admire him and love him, and his friendship meant so much to me, and he inspired me so much.”
Carmichael told the publication that he doesn’t have any regrets because “every conversation in the show has made the relationship better, at least more honest. But I think we’re good.”
The Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show airs every Friday on HBO.
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