WS Chronicle

For his HBO comedy special “Rothaniel,” Winston-Salem native and Glenn High School alum, Jerrod Carmichael, was awarded the Emmy for Best Writing in a Variety Special. 

Since making his debut on the national stage in 2014, Carmichael has continued to grow as a comedian, actor and writer. Earlier this year he made his directorial debut with the film “On the Count of Three,” and he was also the celebrity guest on Saturday Night Live. 

“Rothaniel,” which is Carmichael’s third HBO special, was taped in February before a live audience at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City. The 55-minute special, which has received rave reviews, is a mixture of comedy special and confessional. In the special Carmichael revealed that he is gay and discussed how his family and friends took the news. 

Carmichael beat Ali Wong: Don Wong; The Daily Show with Trevor Noah Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers The Globe – Hungary For Democracy; Nicole Byer: BBW (Big Beautiful Weirdo); and Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special, to win his first Emmy.

“I wanted to win, I’m happy I won. Thank you very very much,” said Carmichael after accepting the award. “I made something that was of great personal consequence to me and this definitely contributes to the meaning of it. I’m not a sore winner, but I’m going to go home because I can’t top this right now.”