Brandon Kyle Goodman: Black, Queer, and Dismantling Racism

Brandon Kyle Goodman is a proud nonbinary, queer, Black leader and staunch advocate for Black lives who has emerged in the entertainment industry as a powerful force with a voice to be reckoned with.

Known for an array of acting credits which include Netflix’s feature-film Feel the Beat and Amazon’s rom-com anthology series Modern Love, Goodman has also found success writing and doing voiceover work for Netflix’s hit animated comedy series Big Mouth.

Goodman has used his platform as an entertainer to discuss Hollywood’s ongoing reckoning with inclusion and how the industry is not an affirming place for Black, queer voices, but it was last summer when his name and messages were launched into the limelight. After the murder of George Floyd and the nationwide protests that broke out, Goodman took to Instagram, sharing videos on their thoughts about systematic racism and their own, personal experiences growing up and being Black and queer in America.

Receiving millions of views and counting, Goodman became a go-to resource for individuals seeking educational and inspiring content.

Currently, Goodman can be seen starring in a virtual, solo show in partnership with the IAMA Theatre Company titled The Latrell Show. Written and performed by Goodman, the performance is a dark comedy that explores the mental aerobics of being Black and queer by way of a hilarious and opinionated talk show host, Latrell Jackson.

OFM had the opportunity to catch up with Goodman and chat more about The Latrell Show and his activism.

Let me begin by asking you about The Latrell Show. How has it been received by viewers?
It has been great! Everyone has been reaching out, and people seem to be impacted and moved. It also has a lot of laughs, so it is everything that I could want and hope for.

What inspired you to create this project, and is Latrell a character you have played in the past?
Latrell was born about 10 years ago out of a sketch comedy show I used to do in New York with a bunch of other NYU grads. It was called Political Subversities, and Latrell used to be, like, a three-minute monologue. It used to do very well, so I started doing these full shows with Latrell. The idea was that you were coming to a taping of a talk show, like Wendy Williams, and we would have commercial breaks. We also could never repeat it because it was all hot topics of the week.

I played him for a while, and then I wanted to do this show about being Black and queer in America and the mental aerobics of that, but that is a heavy topic. I believe in the power of comedy as a way to get people to open themselves up. I thought Latrell might be the perfect way for me to really have a conversation, and that’s what happened.

What do you hope audiences take away from the show?
I just hope that Black, queer people feel seen. That they feel that their experience is seen and validated, and the specificities and nuances of their experience are seen and represented. I hope that white people especially, and anyone who is not Black, feels our experience, feels what it is to navigate this life in this body and identity.

Have you always had a passion to work in entertainment?
Yes! My grandmother was a minister, and my mother was an actress. So, I have been raised by performers. I wanted to be a teacher first, and then, maybe around 14, I played Romeo in a spoof of Romeo and Juliet. I was so femme, but so funny. I was like, ‘Oh, I want to do this.’

Since the onset of the pandemic and the latest iteration of the Black Lives Matter movement, you have segued towards activism, utilizing your platform to unpack varying facets of racism. Why has this been so important to you?
Because I am affected by it. My friends are affected by it; my family is affected by it. One thing that I know how to do is, I know how to write, and I know how to speak. So, if I have the ability to vocalize and verbalize what I am going through, and what we are going through, then I am going to do that. I love laughing; I love a good time; I am a comedian, and that’s what I love, but my life is important. Black lives are important. Black, queer lives are important. If I can use that skill set to highlight that and help be a part of change, I am going to do that. One thousand percent.

Are you afraid of being Black and queer in America?
Hm, that’s a really good question. I think I used to be afraid, but I am not afraid anymore. I find power in it. I think it is actually a gift and a privilege. Yes, we are often on the outskirts of things, but we are also going to be part of making the change and making sure that the generations to come have a space. We are going to be the ones who are going to push, push, push, push to a more equitable country because we are the ones who are impacted by how fucked up it currently is.

Does being nonbinary make it harder for you to find work?
It does not. At this point in the game, it does not. I still play cis, and I am excited to see how nonbinary representation expands. I am beyond excited about Sara Ramirez joining the cast of And Just Like That, playing a nonbinary role, so I am excited to see how it expands in the industry, but so far, it has not impacted my work.

Hollywood has been known for its racist tendencies. Why do you think these practices are still in place, and what more are you going to do to help dismantle them?
I think it’s in place because people love their power. Those systems are in place in so many areas of our country, and of our world, because people want to keep their power. They like their power. They will give you lip service and do rainbow flags in the month of June, but then go back to the same bullshit.

They do not want to give up their power, and they understand that if they were to really open the door and let other people in that are Black or queer, even, like, a percentage of that, they might not have their job. That is scary to really have to hold your job on your merit. To have to earn your money on your merit and not use your privilege as a way to keep it.

For me, it has been about creating different programs. Right now, I am working with my job, I write on a show, and we started a mentorship program for our Black writers. That is what I am interested in. How can I, in my little corner of this world, create systemic change? It’s not just about, oh, look, we hired whatever. It’s like, how can I support Black writers? How can I support Black artists? How can I support them on the emotional side and the business side?

I do not want to just accept 40 people into a diversity program. I have been in those programs, and then after it’s done, you are on your own. I want to create things where we are really shepherding, mentoring, and offering opportunities. Offering ways for people to succeed in those opportunities by supporting them and not just letting them go out there and hoping they figure it out. I am going to hold your hand.

Is your activism and desire to celebrate historically marginalized identities what led you to get involved with Netflix’s Big Mouth?
Yes. I think all my work has been rooted in that because representation is so important to me, and that’s because I did not have that. We did not have that growing up. You clung to different characters or shows hoping to see yourself, wanting to see yourself, but never quite seeing myself. I knew that writing would be a part of that. I can act, but if people are not writing roles for Black, queer folks or about the fullness in our humanity, where we get to, as I say, play with all the colors in the crayon box of humanity, if somebody is not writing that, then I can act it.

It became very important to start writing, and Big Mouth was such a brilliant opportunity because that’s their interests. They are interested in telling different stories from different POVs. As you have seen over the years, the last four years, and with the seasons upcoming, we have expanded whose stories we are telling. It’s not just Nick and Andrew anymore. There are other characters who are queer, who are reckoning with gender. We get to tell their stories as well, and that is very exciting to me. That’s important, and that is part of my activism. A bunch of dick jokes, but having characters who identify not just cis and white represented in this animation show.

Can you tell us anything about your Season Five character or the upcoming spinoff, Human Resources?
I cannot [laughs]. I can say, I am very excited, and it is going to be a lot of fun. I hope that everyone loves it. That is all I can say.

You also host two podcasts, Black Folx and Do the Work. Why should one check them out?
Black Folx is these one-on-one conversations that I have with other Black people about our experiences, and without having whiteness be centered or having to shift or mold the conversation to be palatable for white people. I always say, if you are white and want to hear how Black people speak, this is a good place to learn and be curious about our experiences. I also wanted it to represent that Black people are a monolith, and I wanted somewhere to listen to stories that could be similar to mine and people going through those experiences. It is really for Black people and for us to hear each other speak and to feel seen, validated, and heard.

Do the Work is for anyone who is trying to do their anti-racism work. Anyone who wants to learn how to communicate better. We focus on racism, but it is communication, period, whether it’s about gender and sexuality or what’s going on in your home. We really model how to have really challenging conversations, how to identify when you have hurt somebody or been hurt, and what to do to really heal and move forward. It is for anyone, but especially people who are like, I want to be better at my anti-racism work.

Is there anything you can say about your upcoming debut book?
I am still writing it! [Laughs]. I can tell you, it is going to be part memoir and part self-help, but it is really about how I learned to love the ivtersectionalities of my identity.

What more do you hope to accomplish with your career and platform?
So much. I think the dream for me is to have a production company that has a side that also fosters new talent. I want to bust doors and windows open for other marginalized artists. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, queer, women—I want to create safe spaces for us to be able to develop our work, to be able to fail, to be able to learn, grow, and do it again. I want to be part of that change. I want to be a part of changing Hollywood from cis, straight, and white to something where we are all seen, heard, and we all have somebody championing us. I want to be part of that. That is my ultimate goal.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
If you watch the show In Treatment on HBO, starring Uzo Aduba, I am one of the co-hosts for the companion podcast, In Session, which has been great. We don’t really do behind the scenes of the episode, but we talk more about mental health and the importance of that, what therapy is like, and especially therapy for marginalized groups. Uzo is a Black woman, so we talk about what it is like to be a Black woman therapist and what it is like to be a person of color in therapy. We try to de-mystify therapy and that process because mental health is also something I am a strong advocate for. I believe everybody should be in therapy, and that it should be affordable!

Stay connected with Goodman by following them on Instagram or visit their official website. The Latrell Show is available to stream at iamatheatre.com through June 27. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.

Photos Courtesy of Luke Fontana