She doesn’t really know what to do with it. Until recently, he and his mother spoke every day. “I want to work with her but talking to her and not acknowledging that part of myself causes a reverberating effect of self-hate that I can’t afford right now. So, I added distance,” he told Howard, adding, “I don’t want the conversation to be fake. I’m trying to eliminate that from my life … It’s hard not to be yourself, especially with someone you love so much.” The conversation has been smoother with Jerrod’s father, who he said sent him a thoughtful text right after “Rothaniel” was released. Since then, his dad has taken to “playing referee” between Jerrod and his mom. Taking out his phone in the studio, Carmichael read the most recent message his dad had sent him. “Your mom called the other day, so take some time to call her,” it read. I love her too, but her baby boy is now a big gay man and I think we need some time to come to terms with that,’” Jerrod told Howard.
