Jerrod Carmichael reacts to NBC moving The Carmichael Show shooting episode

Jerrod Carmichael has made some of his thoughts clear when it comes to a decision by NBC to reschedule an episode of The Carmichael Show after a series of terrible mass shootings on Wednesday. Suffice it say, he is not pleased with the move.

This episode featured Jerrod’s title character finding himself in fear during a shooting; he emerges from it okay, but there are psychological scars that come with it and conversations that need to be had. This is far from the first time that The Carmichael Show has taken on difficult subjects, but they always do tackle them with an element of humanity that doesn’t make the conversations feel forced; they also don’t exploit them for the sake of cheap laughs, which is why this is one of the best shows of its kind.

While filming an episode of Chelsea yesterday (before the decision to push the episode back a week came down), Carmichael advocated for the episode to air so that it could facilitate a conversation:

“I understand a corporation making that decision, but really to me what it says is that you don’t think America is smart enough to handle real dialogue … something that feels honest and true and still respects the victims. We handled the episode with as much love and integrity as we possibly could, but to pull [it off the air] is just criminal.”

One of the points of The Carmichael Show is to take on difficult subjects head-on, and there are few shows out there that are as adept at doing this very thing as this one is. It does beautifully paint this picture sometimes, while also finding ways to make you laugh.

In the end, we do see the issue both ways. There are probably some viewers who would’ve complained had the original episode aired last night and deemed it insensitive; however, there are probably others who would have seen it as a source of healing and greater understanding. Much of it is a matter of perspective, and NBC, like many other major top-dollar corporations, is going to often err on the side of being conservative in these situations, especially in the aftermath of tragedy.

What do you think: Did NBC make the right or wrong decision to push this episode of The Carmichael show back? Share in the comments below! (Photo: Netflix.)