Remember ‘The Carmichael Show?’ The show’s creator walked away because he was not allowed to tackle serious issues.

Last week, comedian Lil Rel Howery shared, shared a post that said “Say what you want, but at one time this (The Carmichael Show) was the best show on television.” He was right. And in that moment, I was inspired to write this piece. The show creator, Jerrod Carmichael, walked away from the show for the same reasons we are pushing to control our own narratives today.

Even though “The Carmichael Show” only ran for three seasons, it quickly became a favorite with its star studded cast and well-written dialogue. Cast members included legends David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine, and budding comedic stars Tiffany Haddish and Lil Rel Howery.

The shows creator, Jerrod Carmichael, wanted to use the show to create dialogue around important issues, and was often met with pushback from NBC and 20th Century Fox. The show writers wanted to address issues like racial injustice, police brutality, and the use of the N-word.

Carmichael wearily dealt with the network’s need to avoid serious topics, but decided to walk away from the show after NBC pulled an episode about a mass shooting that was set to air the same day as the Alexandria shooting. 

“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 and something that reflects real family conversations and something that feels honest and true and still respects the victims,” he said on Netflix's Chelsea. "To pull that is just criminal. It seems to do a disservice to the viewer, it does a disservice to you, it does a disservice to all of us.”

We’ve all heard the saying, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything.’ There is a profound respect one has for a person who can walk away from millions of dollars and a critically acclaimed show to keep his ideals intact, and to use his platform to push for progress and change.

That is the type of integrity a network like NBC can’t buy.