Watching Donald Glover’s Pop Culture Dominance Is the Purest Thing

I’m a simple woman. I like watching people achieve their dreams, especially if they’re a person I like. Going into 2018, I was fully expecting to celebrate the rise of Donald Glover, a celebrity I have always admired and believe deserves more attention. But nothing, not even my deep love of Glover, prepared me for how pure this experience would be.

Way back in 2017 we knew that 2018 was going to be Donald Glover’s year. After a year and a half hiatus, FX’s critically acclaimed Atlanta was scheduled to return at the beginning of the year with its Robbin’ season. On the musical side of things, Childish Gambino — Glover’s rapper persona — was preparing to return with one final project after the award-winning success of Awaken My Love. Glover was even set to explore his cinematic side in a big way after being cast as Lando Calrissian in Ron Howard’s upcoming Solo movie and Simba in Disney’s upcoming live-action Lion King. The latter role would even seen Glover acting next to Beyoncé. Even if half of these projects were flops, this was the year that seemed determined to transform him into a household name.

But so far, nothing has flopped. Atlanta Robbin’ Season was somehow smarter, more insightful, and funnier than the first season of the show. Though Childish Gambino hasn’t released his final project, he has released “This Is America,” a deeply nuanced, brilliant, and yes catchy single. Regarding Solo, Glover’s name now carries almost as much weight as Howard’s and Harrison Ford’s, especially after that revelation about Lando’s sexuality. He certainly seems to have more star power than leading man Alden Ehrenreich.

It’s only May, and this is already an incredible year without mentioning Glover’s phenomenal double-duty hosting of SNL. Like I said it’s good to see people you like succeed, but there’s something about the way Glover talks about his success that makes him all the more endearing.

The Donald Glover who appears on the late night circuit seems distinctly removed from his ever-confident work. He’s quieter than Atlanta‘s subtext, more soft-spoken than Childish Gambino’s verses. It may just be a carefully constructed celebrity persona, but it really feels like we’re watching a man who’s in awe of his sudden success.

There’s a note of authenticity to Glover that’s reminiscent of Lin Manuel Miranda’s gleeful appearances. They both just seem equally overwhelmed yet psyched to be at this point in their lives. Even when he’s talking about something he’s passionate about with Stephen Colbert — “Redbone,” the Girl Scout who tried to sell cookies using the song, and the difference between his normal persona and his rap persona — Glover remains quiet and subdued throughout his interview. It’s only when he starts buying cookies that he finally starts to relax. Being on a guest late night show must be weird, and Glover’s hesitant comfort with the experience feels both relatable while silently highlighting its oddity in only the way Glover can.

Likewise, Glover’s revelation to Jimmy Kimmel that he’s avoided the internet since “This Is America” dropped shows off the human side of this creator. It’s difficult to make any kind of art, let alone something as emotional and charged as “This Is America.” Of course after spending the first half of the year bleeding on screen, he doesn’t want to read about all the things people hate.

And then there’s this other side of Glover that’s different from his shy talk show appearances and intense art. There’s the fanboy side. It emerged a few times while he was hosting Saturday Night Live. Parts of the “Barbie’s Instagram” sketch and the Jurassic Park “Courtroom” sketch feel like they could have been pulled from Glover’s old group Derrick Comedy or his 30 Rock days. But the one subject that fully transforms Glover into a giddy fanboy is the role he’s wanted to play as a child — Lando Calrissian.

Just watch the way he talks about Lando’s capes. That’s not just an actor spilling on his new role. That’s a man who loves Star Wars and is thrilled to see his dreams turn into a reality.

There are so many bad things that have happened in 2018 on a daily basis. In the midst of all this terribleness, I’m glad someone is achieving their dreams. I’m happy for Glover, and I’m happy I get to watch him have his very good year.