Pamela Adlon’s sharp, comedic voice and willingness to tackle sensitive topics in a raw and open way have made her a star in the entertainment world. Adlon voiced Bobby Hill in the iconic animated series King of the Hill for 13 seasons, but is also known for creating, starring in and directing the semi-autobiographical FX comedy-drama Better things – which lasted five seasons. The series centered on Adlon’s character Sam Fox, a divorced mother of three juggling the complexities of career, parenthood and aging. Most recently, Adlon made her directorial debut with the feature film Girlswith Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau. The film explores the ups and downs of female friendship, childbirth and the often chaotic journey of motherhood.

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For his Treat, Adlon sincerely thanks comedian and actor Jerrod Carmichael. She describes watching her 2022 HBO special Jerrod Carmichael as Rothaniel as if his head had been split open. Filmed at the iconic Blue Note Jazz Club in New York, the special had a lasting impact on Adlon, not least because of Carmichael’s bold departure from the traditional stand-up structure. To her, her performance was more like performance art on another level. What struck Adlon most was his raw vulnerability — the way he openly delved into his personal life, from his relationship with his mother to his most intimate emotions. Adlon also cites Jerrod Carmichael’s reality TV show as an example of the actor’s ability to play with truth and “reality”. She admires his courage in putting himself out there so fully, aware that he is being judged by the audience as he navigates such deeply intimate material.

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This segment has been edited and condensed for clarity.

I’m going to talk about someone who really impresses me and that’s Jerrod Carmichael.

When I saw (Jerrod Carmichael as Rothaniel), I was completely… my head open because it’s a rumination. That’s what I felt when I saw Swimming in Cambodia and when Spalding Gray was doing his thing. It evoked this feeling in me, like I was really there with him. That’s how I feel about Jerrod and what he does.

It’s like he’s rejecting any sort of structure to what stand-up should be. Any kind of structure to what a TV show should be. Don’t you need to tell people what’s true? What is the truth? No, that’s not the case. He owns that. It’s a performance art that’s on another level.

And it’s really scary. I think it’s probably because he exposes himself in a way that gets him judged by everyone, of course, and he talks about his private life. He talks about his mother, about her feelings, and he can – obviously – use that therapeutically for himself. But I find what he does amazing.

What Jerrod is doing is he needs to be seen and exposed in this profound way right now. It’s so generous and fascinating. And he’s brilliant.