Jerrod Carmichael came out as gay in his new stand-up special, Rothaniel, which premiered Friday on HBO. The next night, he hosted Saturday Night Live. On America’s biggest comedy stage, the 34-year-old talked about the discourse around Will Smith’s slap, deftly weaving it into his own big news. Joking about how he “has so many gay things to do,” Carmichael joined a long line of Black celebrities — especially comedians — who have struggled with their private lives not matching their public personas. Carmichael, though, has already stepped out of the shadow so many others couldn’t.
