Donald Glover Is Considering Another Stand-Up Thanks to Chris Rock

In a new interview with GQ, Swarm co-creator Donald Glover said that Chris Rock convinced him to write new stand-up material.

Could Donald Glover be making a return to the stage? In a new interview with GQ, the Swarm and Atlanta co-creator explained that Selective Outrage comedian Chris Rock convinced him to begin writing new stand-up material. Glover, 39, last performed stand-up in 2012 with his first – and currently only – special Weirdo, which aired on Comedy Central.

“So I was with Chris Rock, and he was like, ‘People aren’t good [at stand-up] until they’re your age,” Glover told GQ. “The only one who was better when he was younger was Eddie. Why aren’t you doing this s***?’”

The Mr. & Mrs. Smith star added that he’s writing new material, although there’s no word whether the comedy special will air on Prime Video, who he currently has a multi-year deal with.

“I’m a sensitive person. And it scares me because I see it in my son,” he said, explaining the criticism he’s received with previous stand-up and comedy writing. “Glovers have big hands. Glovers have big feet. Glovers are angry men. I say to my son, ‘I’m letting you know your history a little bit so you understand this is what you’re gonna have to deal with. Don’t react all the time because your anger swells up really fast.’”

Along with Weirdo, Glover has performed on Comedy Central Presents, Live at Gotham and had Saturday Night Live hosting duties in 2018. While the New York University alum auditioned for SNL twice – in 2007 and 2009 – he told GQ that by landing on the show, his eventual career “wouldn’t have happened.”

One gag that Glover wrote in the third season of Atlanta was actor Liam Neeson facing his problematic past towards Black people. Neeson initially declined to appear on the show before Glover convinced him otherwise, with the help of Nope director Jordan Peele.

“Jordan thought it was hilarious! So Jordan talked to him,” Glover told GQ, referring to the Atlanta scene.” “Liam hit me back and said he talked to Jordan and his son and thought it’d actually be a good thing. But what was so funny is, like, I forgot to hit Jordan back. I was so excited about Liam doing it. So Jordan hit a friend of mine, and was like, ‘Am I on a prank show where Donald got me to forgive Liam Neeson? Was this a joke…on me?’”