If ‘#BlackAF’ Makes You Uncomfortable, Maybe That’s the Point

Let’s get past idealism and find the comedy in our own flaws

Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Since #blackAF premiered on Netflix, Kenya Barris’ name has been under the internet’s microscope.

With his $100 million Netflix development deal, I assumed Barris would push the envelope and create content that didn’t need network approval, and I anticipated he’d be able to do whatever the hell he wanted. With #blackAF, he’s done just that — and made a lot of Black folks #madAF in the process.

#BlackAF puts the spotlight on a famous comedy writer living in L.A. with his wife and six children. Like Barris’ mega-successful sitcom Black-ish, #blackAF depicts a family based on Barris’ own — just with a darker, Curb Your Own Enthusiasm–style sensibility. Barris plays a funhouse-mirror version of himself: selfish, neurotic, and basically horrible.

If some Black people don’t identify with ‘#blackAF,’ that’s fine. But don’t condemn the brother for bringing to life this particular Black family’s #blackAF-ness.

But that unapologetic tone — along with some other qualities — led to some heated reactions on social media. One person said the show…