The Carmichael Show Episode 1.04 Gender

While Jerrod and Maxine are over for dinner, Cynthia announces she has signed Jerrod up for the annual church Big Brother/Big Sister program. Joe thinks this is a real moneymaking idea and is banking on Jerrod's little brother being a basketball superstar who'll hook them up with courtside seats and maybe even a free house! As it turns out, Jordan Chamberlain does play basketball, which only serves to validate Joe's Blindside theory.

After playing basketball with Jordan, who happens to be very talented, Jerrod brings him over to the apartment to meet Maxine. Only, it turns out Maxine is terrible with kids, and she shamefully admits she has a condition: pedophobia. Jerrod initially thinks this means his girlfriend's a pedophile, but she explains it actually means she has an irrational fear of children, which all started when she dropped a baby on a plane. Later, Jerrod imparts some valuable advice to the aspiring NBA star: don't get married young because women are always the downfall of professional athletes. Jordan tells him there's nothing to worry about when it comes to women - he's gay.

Shocked by Jordan's admission, Jerrod goes to get some advice from the most judgmental people he knows: his parents. They tell him to be supportive - after all, the Supreme Court told them they need to accept gay people, and they always do what the Supreme Court says. So Jerrod goes back to Jordan to tell him to be himself, only to learn Jordan isn't actually gay. He just told Jerrod that to test his reaction before he told him his real secret: he's transgender. This time, Jerrod doesn't handle the news so well and starts spouting random basketball facts before awkwardly running away.

Back at the Carmichael house, Jerrod updates his parents on Jordan's big admission while Bobby and Nekeisha argue over the divorce papers Nekeisha wants Bobby to sign. Joe and Cynthia came around to Jordan being gay, but they have a hard time wrapping their mind around the concept of transgenderism. "It's too fast, too furious," explains Joe, unable to handle so much change. Jerrod begs for advice - he has no idea what to say to this scared kid.

"Don't worry, the woman trapped inside of him will tell the man what to do," quips Joe. "That was my first joke on the transgender issue! Not half bad!"

With Joe's insensitive jokes in mind, Jerrod goes to talk to Jordan and admits that while he doesn't totally get it, he supports Jordan 100% and will help him tell his mom.

That night, Bobby stops by Jerrod and Maxine's apartment and asks Jerrod to look over the divorce papers before he signs them. Jerrod immediately notices Nekeisha makes more money than Bobby, which means she would actually owe him spousal support! Bobby quickly signs the papers before Nekeisha busts in, and then throws it in her face that she owes him money. Furious, Nekeisha rips up the divorce papers and announces they will stay married until she finds a way to make less money than he does. Yeah, like that's possible.