Sampson McCormick on Dramatic Comedy ‘Love the One You’re With’

With the state of today’s world, we all need a good laugh. 

Award-winning, veteran, Black, LGBTQ comedian and writer Sampson McCormick recently released a new film project called Love the One You’re With. The dramatic comedy follows a Black, queer couple as they tread the rocky waters of a possible breakup during a lapse in communication over the course of their six-year relationship. Not only does the film provide humor and entertainment, but it stirs up necessary conversations about dating and relationships among Black, queer people.

McCormick, whose work has been featured at Harvard University and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, is the first Black, queer comedian to headline a show for three consecutive years at the National Museum of African American History and Culture. In Love the One You’re With, he approaches the topic of relationships and dating in a raw and honest way but stays true to his dedication to telling authentic narratives of Black, queer men. 

OFM caught up with McCormick to talk more about the film and the important topics it discusses.

How have you been doing during these days of COVID?
I am a very positive person. I am not religious, but I listen to a lot of gospel music and gospel house music, and music is very uplifting. So, I am keeping myself in a positive space. 

We last spoke when you were promoting your comedy special, Church Boy. How did it go?
You know what’s funny? While I was promoting it, it was doing very well. Then when I started working on something else, out of nowhere, it exploded. My last comedy special, which was That Bitch Better Be Funny, I think people found Church Boy and then went onto that one because That Bitch Better Be Funny had more streams than it had in the eight years it has been out. So, Church Boy did amazing, and it lifted That Bitch Better Be Funny. It was incredible.

What can you tell us about your new film project, Love the One You’re With?
Oh my God. I don’t know if you have seen it yet or not, but it is an hour long, and it is the type of Black, queer film that we need. I am very blessed to have the writing ability that I have, and it was something magical that happened. We had magical writing; we had magical actors; the story is great, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable film experience. After watching it, I hope you understand where I am coming from. At times, when you see gay films, you do not know what you are going to get. There are a lot of gay films out there, and I am not crapping on anybody, but that is honest. I want to see more quality gay films, and this is one of them. Everybody needs to check it out so they can get that. We all want it, and this is one of those things. 

What inspired you to create this project?
One reason is because I have been locked up all through this pandemic [laughs]. Like, I have to do something besides baking. I made all kinds of sweet potato cakes, casseroles, and muffins, so let me try to sit down and write. I laid down on my bedroom floor over the course of a month, and I wrote it on my bedroom floor. It took me about a month, and it was kind of based on some of the discussions that I see happening online in the gay community when it comes to dating and some of my own dating experiences. There is a lot in there that we need to talk about as a community. 

How has it been received by audiences so far?
Incredibly. It has received very good feedback. I know it is a good film. The only thing I wish we could have done; I wish maybe we could have gotten a big name like Jeremy Pope to be involved. Somebody with a well-known name always helps, but the feedback has been so good. 

What do you hope they take away from the film?
First, I hope they take away a great time. For the folks who have asked about it, I tell them it is a fun ride, so I hope they take that fun ride. It is a fun viewing experience. Even with the subject matter, it is very uplifting, plenty, and positive, so they get that. As a comedian, a lot of comedy, especially now with cancel culture and PC this and that, comedy leaves a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths, so I hope people can understand that you can watch something that is very, very good or really funny and know that it is safe for you to watch. Even with the topic, which is dating and romance, I think we still handled it in a way that was delicately done enough so that nobody is going to look at it and get triggered. Of course, we did have a couple haters. Like, oh my God, I cannot believe you all recorded that. I am like, you know you bought 10 copies of it. Shut up [laughs].

You want to tell authentic narratives of Black, queer men. Why is this so important to you?
Oh, great question! That is so important because we really do not get enough of those narratives. Thankfully, we have a show like Pose, and we had shows like Noah’s Ark and things like that, but that is not even scratching the surface. It is a beautiful thing to hear everybody’s voice and see everybody’s experience, but I think we are kind of tired seeing straight, white people all the time. There are all these stories that are so rich because they involve so many complicated themes and things attached to being minorities. I think having those stories be told will allow us to have conversations in our community as minorities and also bridge a lot of gaps so that we can all be a big happy family the way we need to be as people. 

One of the film’s major themes is mental health. Can you talk about some of the mental health challenges you have personally faced?
Oh, lord! You are going to get me started! Well, as queer people, we get beat down a lot. We get beat down by our families; we get beat down by society, and we really get beat down by each other. Imagine all these beatdowns, it is a lot to make you question yourself. Then, as a Black man who is also LGBTQ, there are a lot of challenges that intersect. A lot of worlds collide there, and that can be a lot of weight to carry. We cover those things in the film, and it is something that we do not talk about enough.

What do you do every day to keep your mental health in check?
Beat people up [laughs]. I’m just playing. I put on good music every morning. I do something, no matter how busy my day is going to be, I do something that is going to put me in a space where I make sure I make myself feel good. Something like South African house music or deep house music that you listen to late at night. I have incense and candles and my room is really serene. Just finding that thing that makes me happy. Every morning, I create that space for me to feel good, and from there, I am able to navigate and keep my day the same way. 

Another central theme in the film is ghosting and communication issues. Why do you think this is so prevalent not only in the Black queer community, but the LGBTQ community as a whole?
One reason why it happens is because a lot of us do not know how to communicate. We, especially men in our community, whether you are Black, white, or whatever, if you are gay, a lot of times we have not been taught to value having love. We still live in a society where we have to fight to get people to widely recognize what it is that we do when we make a commitment to each other. So, when you live in a society that reinforces those ideas that make you question whether or not you are worthy of love, of course you are going to run from it sometimes when you come across it. It is really layered and complicated, but I think what it really comes down to is, some people can look at it and really enjoy it. Other people can look at it and they have to do the work themselves. 

What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
A lot of great comedy. Great, positive, uplifting comedy that makes people laugh really hard. I have been doing that now for 20 years, and I plan to do it for another 50. I really do believe that you can use comedy to inspire, to motivate, to uplift, and everybody can have a great time. They are not sitting there feeling bad because somebody is making fun of them for being heavyset, gay, trans, a woman. We can all come in and enjoy a good laugh at stuff we all go through. Have a great time, experience that on film, experience that in conversation, and just realize that laughter is a very important part of staying healthy and making it through life. Even if I do a dramatic role, there is going to be an element of humor in there.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention our plug?
I am the co-executive producer of a new film coming out called B-Boy Blues. Jussie Smollett is the director on that, and it will be out, I believe later this year. Also, hopefully, things will go back somewhat to normal, and I will be back on the road again soon. 

Follow McCormick on Instagram and YouTube to stay up-to-date, or visit his official website, sampsoncomedy.com. Love the One You’re With is currently streaming on YouTube, VIM Media, and Amazon Video.

*photos by Sampson McCormick