Never forget that Donald Glover achieved early internet fame with a sketch about pooping his pants

We've all got to start somewhere.
 By 
Peter Allen Clark
 on 
Never forget that Donald Glover achieved early internet fame with a sketch about pooping his pants
Credit: Getty Images/Mashable composite

Donald Glover is definitely having a Moment™.

Fresh off of his successful hosting of Saturday Night Live, he released a groundbreaking music video for his new song "This is America." This, during the second season of his FX show Atlanta, which he created and stars in. All before he plays Lando Calrissian in the newest Star Wars movie, coming out May 25.

Over the past 10 years, Glover has become a cultural force. He's touched a number of entertainment mediums, from his comedic role on Community to his thoughtful music under the pseudonym Childish Gambino, and has been increasingly seen in movies and on other TV shows.

But what might be forgotten in all of this mustering of star power is his humble beginnings: making comedy sketches for YouTube.

Together with his New York University comedy team Derrick Comedy, which also trained and performed at the Upright Citizens Brigade, they put out a number of gems from around 2005/2006 until 2008.

My first exposure to Donald Glover was with a video titled "Jerry Poops His Pants." My friends and I at the time absolutely loved it and it would be a total shame for his brilliant new stardom to over shadow this early, weird work about poop.

This extremely physical screaming became something of a trademark for Glover when he starred as Troy on Community, and it's kind of great to see its genesis in this video.

It was around the time that "Jerry Poops His Pants" was made that Glover was hired by Tina Fey as a writer for 30 Rock, and he certainly can take some credit for the genius of that show.

His writing and his work has definitely matured and turned into something with more to say than just about a screaming student trying to deny a terrible accident. Through Atlanta and This is America, Glover increasingly wants to say something broader with his work, and it seems like he even wants to strike a nerve.

But let us never forget that it all began with a comedy sketch about pooping his pants, and some others that haven’t aged as well, like the spoof news report on bro rape.

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Peter Allen Clark

I have done neat stuff all over these United States from sailing lessons on the Puget Sound to motorcycle maintenance on the backroads of upstate New York. My professional experience extends from newspaper reporting in the mountains of Eastern Oregon to fixing espresso machines throughout Kentucky. I also have kept a cat alive for 10 years.

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