Jsie Smollett Com Out as Gay: “There’s Never Been a Closet” – The Hollywood Reporter

Contents:

• 'EMPIRE' STAR JSIE SMOLLET NFIRMS HE'S GAY
• DO JSIE SMOLLETT HAVE A WIFE? THE ACTOR IS GAY AND KEEPS HIS DATG LIFE SECRET
• JSIE SMOLLETT: ‘I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN’
• ‘EMPIRE’ ACTOR JSIE SMOLLETT REVEALS HE’S GAY ON ‘ELLEN’: ‘THERE IS NO CLOSET’
• JSIE SMOLLETT ‘HAD SEXUAL RELATNSHIP WH ALLEGED ATTACKER’ AND ‘MET HIM AT GAY CHIGO BATHHOE’
• JSIE SMOLLETT GUILTY VERDICT DON'T MEAN ANTI-GAY VLENCE ISN'T REAL
• EMPIRE’S JSIE SMOLLETT OPENS UP ABOUT BEG A GAY IN AND HIS COOKG SKILLS“DARLG, THERE'S NOTHG I NNOT MAKE. I MAKE THE BT MARONI AND CHEE THAT YOU WILL EVER HAVE YOUR LIFE.”BY PL CHIMARCH 17, 2015BY NICHOLAS HUNT/SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEJSIE SMOLLETT—THE BREAKOUT SGER-ACTOR WHO PLAYS TERRENCE HOWARD AND TARAJI P. HENSON'S GAY SON JAMAL LYON ON THE SMASH FOX SERI EMPIRE—IS G QUE A STIR WH HIS SOULFUL AND TROSPECTIVE PERFORMANCE. NOT ONLY IS HE RECEIVG THUNRO PRAISE OM BOTH CRICS AND DIENC, BUT HE IS BEG LD FOR IMPACTG THE LIV OF MANY GAY VIEWERS.WE UGHT UP WH SMOLLETT, 31, AT THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF THE DIVERGENT SERI: INSURGENT ON MONDAY, WHERE HE SPOKE NDIDLY ABOUT WHIRLWD LIFE. HERE ARE FIVE THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CHARMG AND MULTI-TALENTED PERFORMER.1. HE REALIZED HE WAS FAMO WHEN HE WENT TO THE MALL.“I RECENTLY WENT TO THE GROVE [AN OUTDOOR SHOPPG CENTER LOS ANGEL] AND LERALLY WAS A MOB SCENE,” HE SAID. “IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE THAT PEOPLE REGNIZED ME. IT WAS KD OF CRAZY, BUT EVERYONE WHO HAS E UP HAS BEEN REALLY SWEET. THEY SAY THEY LOVE EMPIRE AND SOME SAY THEY ARE REALLY MOVED AND SPIRED BY THE SHOW. THAT FEELS HELLA GOOD!” SMOLLETT ALSO SHARED THAT HIS PORTRAYAL OF GAY MAN WHOSE FATHER N’T ACCEPT HIM HAS HELPED FANS WHO ARE STGGLG WH THEIR OWN PARENTS. “I RECEIVED A LETTER OM A KID THAT SAID JAMAL GAVE HIM THE URAGE TO E OUT TO HIS PARENTS. IT TOUCHED ME EPLY AND ’S AN HONOR TO HELP PEOPLE.”2. HIS STAT AS A SEX SYMBOL MAK HIM BLH.SMOLLETT'S HEARTFELT SGG AND ALLURG PERSONALY IS G HEART PALPATNS FOR MANY FANS AND HAS THSTED HIM TO HEARTTHROB TERRORY. BUT ALL THE SWOONG MAK HIM “QUIVER MY SOL,” HE SAID. “BUT ’S VERY SWEET AND I AM HUMBLED BY . I’M JT ENJOYG MY MOMENT ON EMPIRE AND JT TAKG ALL . I WAKE UP EVERY DAY THE SAME MAN JT WANTG TO WORK HARD AND DO THE BT WORK THAT I N DO.”3. HE HOP TO BE A POSIVE ROLE BEYOND THE LGBT MUNY.LAST WEEK SMOLETT PUBLICLY SPOKE ABOUT HIS SEXUALY FOR THE FIRST TIME AN TERVIEW WH ELLEN DEGENER. RATHER THAN FOCG ON THAT, THOUGH, THE STAR HOP TO E HIS NEW FAME TO SPIRE OTHERS TO BE HONT. “I FEEL A RPONSIBILY, BUT DO NOT FEEL PRSURE,” HE SAID WHEN ASKED ABOUT BEG A GAY MAN HOLLYWOOD. “THERE IS A RPONSIBILY FOR ME AS A MAN, AS A MAN OF LOR, AS AN ARTIST TO BE MYSELF AND MAKE THGS THAT REFLECT ME AND THAT ARE TE. THAT’S WHAT MATTERS. IT’S ABOUT ALL OF , NOT A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE. I HOPE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND THE WORLD AND AS A HUMAN BEG, THAT’S WHAT’S REAL AND WHAT I WANT TO DO.”4. HE SGS, DANC AND IS ALSO A MASTER CHEF.“I’M A VERY VG GUY AND I LIKE TO OK A LOT. MY MOM IS OM NEW ORLEANS, SO I FEEL LIKE I’M A SOUTHERN BOY AT HEART AND THERE'S ALWAYS OKG. YOU N ALWAYS E TO MY HOE AND I WILL OK FOR YOU.”WHAT’S HIS BT DISH? “DARLG, THERE'S NOTHG I NNOT MAKE,” HE SAID PROUDLY. “I MAKE THE BT MARONI AND CHEE THAT YOU WILL EVER HAVE YOUR LIFE AND I MAKE A MEAN GUMBO. IT'S MEAN!”5. HIS GUILTY PLEASURE IS SGG SHOW TUN—PECIALLY OM THE SOUND OF MIC.“IT’S SO EMBARRASSG, BUT THE SONG I LOVE TO SG IS “SIXTEEN GOG ON SEVENTEEN” OM THE SOUND OF MIC,” SMOLLETT REVEALED. “I LOVE THAT ’S SO THEATRIL AND THE LYRICS ARE SO FUN. I N SG THE GUY’S PART AND I N SG THE GIRLS PART. I NEVER GET SICK OF .”THE DIVERGENT SERI: INSURGENT PREMIERE RED CARPET1 / 10CHEVRONCHEVRONBY NICHOLAS HUNT/OCTAVIA SPENCER AND JSIE SMOLLETTMOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE GILD AGE WILL GET A LOT MORE OPERATIC SEASON 2BY RICHARD LAWSONINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDPL CHI
• IS JSIE SMOLLETT GAY IN REAL LIFE, OR IS HE JT ACTG ON FOX’S ‘EMPIRE’ TV SHOW?

'EMPIRE' STAR JSIE SMOLLET NFIRMS HE'S GAY

Actor and sger Jsie Smollett is one of the breakout stars of Fox's h drama Empire, and while much of the buzz surroundg him has foced on his talents, there's also been plenty said about his the show, he plays Jamal Lyon, a gay sger and the middle son of Luc (Terrence Howard) and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) battlg his father's real life, Smollett's sexualy has been a topic of nversatn, and now he's settg the rerd an terview wh Ellen DeGener nducted backstage at Ellen, he nfirmed that he is gay and explaed why he's never felt the need to discs his personal life. "Until his nversatn wh DeGener, Smollett nsistently refed to discs his sexualy terviews, tellg Sway on his rad show a few weeks ago that fans shouldn't assume that he's gay.

Empire actor Jsie Smollett has announced to Ellen DeGener that he is gay — whout actually sayg . " Dpe beg famo, the actor, who is openly gay, keeps his datg life out of the Smollett ma history by beg one of the few actors to play a black gay character on primetime TV.

DO JSIE SMOLLETT HAVE A WIFE? THE ACTOR IS GAY AND KEEPS HIS DATG LIFE SECRET

– He Came Out as a Gay ManRegardg Jsie Smollett's personal life, he do not have a wife, and there is no news about him havg a partner, as he is generally very private about his life and relatnships.

JSIE SMOLLETT: ‘I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN’

However, he publicly me out as a gay man 2015 durg an terview wh Ellen DeGener.

"The actor, wh over 4 ln followers on Instagram, further explaed that spe choosg not to discs his personal life, he has never nied his sexualy or pretend to be someone he was Smollett Comments on How People Reacted to Him Comg Out as a Gay ManAfter revealg to DeGener that he is gay a backstage terview, Smollett told Variety that people ma a fs about him g out. He only did so that others uld fd fort knowg that others share the same Smollett on Beg Proudly Gay & His Alleged BoyiendIn a January 2016 terview, Smollett got more ndid about beg proudly gay.

‘EMPIRE’ ACTOR JSIE SMOLLETT REVEALS HE’S GAY ON ‘ELLEN’: ‘THERE IS NO CLOSET’

He spoke passnately about his journey, sayg:"I am a gay man wh an extremely open heart. ] If I had to label myself, I would label myself as a gay man. CHICAGO — The two brothers at the center of Jsie Smollett’s crimal trial faced btal cross-examatns on Thursday as they were pated as homophobic, dg-alg opportunists who had a history of lyg and tend to hurt the actor.

Abimbola Osundairo, 28, was grilled for two hours by Smollett’s attorney Shay Allen, who alleged that he and the “Empire” actor had prevly dated and had masturbated together at a gay bathhoe and that the attack was fueled by a sire to be the actor’s secury guard.

JSIE SMOLLETT ‘HAD SEXUAL RELATNSHIP WH ALLEGED ATTACKER’ AND ‘MET HIM AT GAY CHIGO BATHHOE’

Olabjo Osundairo, 30, was qutned on past homophobic ments he ma and admted he ed such rogatory terms toward men he “spected” were gay. The brothers allege that Smollett paid them to drs up like MAGA-lovg “Tmp supporters” and “fake beat him up” that night, while the fense claims the attack on the gay actor was an actual hate crime fueled by the Osundairos’ homophobia. On Wednday, Abimbola had told jurors that he and Smollett had gone to the Steamworks bathhoe together Chigo’s Boystown neighborhood, a predomantly gay muny, and on Thursday, Allen asked if gay pornography was played on the televisns si the spa.

JSIE SMOLLETT GUILTY VERDICT DON'T MEAN ANTI-GAY VLENCE ISN'T REAL

“You don’t rell seeg gay pornography?... Attemptg to st Abimbola as a homophobe, Allen mentned that homosexualy is illegal Nigeria, where the brothers have strong ti, and claimed Abimbola had lled someone on the set of “Empire” a “f- - - -t. Defense attorney Tamara Walker spent hours pepperg him wh qutns about homophobic ments he had ma and discrepanci his ttimony.

Moments after Olabjo acknowledged he ed the phrase “uy ass” to refer to a man he spected was gay, Walker asked whether Smollett had known he had said such thgs the past.

EMPIRE’S JSIE SMOLLETT OPENS UP ABOUT BEG A GAY IN AND HIS COOKG SKILLS“DARLG, THERE'S NOTHG I NNOT MAKE. I MAKE THE BT MARONI AND CHEE THAT YOU WILL EVER HAVE YOUR LIFE.”BY PL CHIMARCH 17, 2015BY NICHOLAS HUNT/SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEJSIE SMOLLETT—THE BREAKOUT SGER-ACTOR WHO PLAYS TERRENCE HOWARD AND TARAJI P. HENSON'S GAY SON JAMAL LYON ON THE SMASH FOX SERI EMPIRE—IS G QUE A STIR WH HIS SOULFUL AND TROSPECTIVE PERFORMANCE. NOT ONLY IS HE RECEIVG THUNRO PRAISE OM BOTH CRICS AND DIENC, BUT HE IS BEG LD FOR IMPACTG THE LIV OF MANY GAY VIEWERS.WE UGHT UP WH SMOLLETT, 31, AT THE NEW YORK PREMIERE OF THE DIVERGENT SERI: INSURGENT ON MONDAY, WHERE HE SPOKE NDIDLY ABOUT WHIRLWD LIFE. HERE ARE FIVE THGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CHARMG AND MULTI-TALENTED PERFORMER.1. HE REALIZED HE WAS FAMO WHEN HE WENT TO THE MALL.“I RECENTLY WENT TO THE GROVE [AN OUTDOOR SHOPPG CENTER LOS ANGEL] AND LERALLY WAS A MOB SCENE,” HE SAID. “IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE THAT PEOPLE REGNIZED ME. IT WAS KD OF CRAZY, BUT EVERYONE WHO HAS E UP HAS BEEN REALLY SWEET. THEY SAY THEY LOVE EMPIRE AND SOME SAY THEY ARE REALLY MOVED AND SPIRED BY THE SHOW. THAT FEELS HELLA GOOD!” SMOLLETT ALSO SHARED THAT HIS PORTRAYAL OF GAY MAN WHOSE FATHER N’T ACCEPT HIM HAS HELPED FANS WHO ARE STGGLG WH THEIR OWN PARENTS. “I RECEIVED A LETTER OM A KID THAT SAID JAMAL GAVE HIM THE URAGE TO E OUT TO HIS PARENTS. IT TOUCHED ME EPLY AND ’S AN HONOR TO HELP PEOPLE.”2. HIS STAT AS A SEX SYMBOL MAK HIM BLH.SMOLLETT'S HEARTFELT SGG AND ALLURG PERSONALY IS G HEART PALPATNS FOR MANY FANS AND HAS THSTED HIM TO HEARTTHROB TERRORY. BUT ALL THE SWOONG MAK HIM “QUIVER MY SOL,” HE SAID. “BUT ’S VERY SWEET AND I AM HUMBLED BY . I’M JT ENJOYG MY MOMENT ON EMPIRE AND JT TAKG ALL . I WAKE UP EVERY DAY THE SAME MAN JT WANTG TO WORK HARD AND DO THE BT WORK THAT I N DO.”3. HE HOP TO BE A POSIVE ROLE BEYOND THE LGBT MUNY.LAST WEEK SMOLETT PUBLICLY SPOKE ABOUT HIS SEXUALY FOR THE FIRST TIME AN TERVIEW WH ELLEN DEGENER. RATHER THAN FOCG ON THAT, THOUGH, THE STAR HOP TO E HIS NEW FAME TO SPIRE OTHERS TO BE HONT. “I FEEL A RPONSIBILY, BUT DO NOT FEEL PRSURE,” HE SAID WHEN ASKED ABOUT BEG A GAY MAN HOLLYWOOD. “THERE IS A RPONSIBILY FOR ME AS A MAN, AS A MAN OF LOR, AS AN ARTIST TO BE MYSELF AND MAKE THGS THAT REFLECT ME AND THAT ARE TE. THAT’S WHAT MATTERS. IT’S ABOUT ALL OF , NOT A PARTICULAR GROUP OF PEOPLE. I HOPE TO MAKE AN IMPACT ON SOCIETY AND THE WORLD AND AS A HUMAN BEG, THAT’S WHAT’S REAL AND WHAT I WANT TO DO.”4. HE SGS, DANC AND IS ALSO A MASTER CHEF.“I’M A VERY VG GUY AND I LIKE TO OK A LOT. MY MOM IS OM NEW ORLEANS, SO I FEEL LIKE I’M A SOUTHERN BOY AT HEART AND THERE'S ALWAYS OKG. YOU N ALWAYS E TO MY HOE AND I WILL OK FOR YOU.”WHAT’S HIS BT DISH? “DARLG, THERE'S NOTHG I NNOT MAKE,” HE SAID PROUDLY. “I MAKE THE BT MARONI AND CHEE THAT YOU WILL EVER HAVE YOUR LIFE AND I MAKE A MEAN GUMBO. IT'S MEAN!”5. HIS GUILTY PLEASURE IS SGG SHOW TUN—PECIALLY OM THE SOUND OF MIC.“IT’S SO EMBARRASSG, BUT THE SONG I LOVE TO SG IS “SIXTEEN GOG ON SEVENTEEN” OM THE SOUND OF MIC,” SMOLLETT REVEALED. “I LOVE THAT ’S SO THEATRIL AND THE LYRICS ARE SO FUN. I N SG THE GUY’S PART AND I N SG THE GIRLS PART. I NEVER GET SICK OF .”THE DIVERGENT SERI: INSURGENT PREMIERE RED CARPET1 / 10CHEVRONCHEVRONBY NICHOLAS HUNT/OCTAVIA SPENCER AND JSIE SMOLLETTMOST POPULARSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHTHE GILD AGE WILL GET A LOT MORE OPERATIC SEASON 2BY RICHARD LAWSONINSI ALL OF US STRANGERS, ANDREW STT AND PL ML’S METAPHYSIL LOVE STORYBY DAVID CANFIELDPL CHI

INSKEEP: So we'll jt remd people Smollett is both black and openly gay, scribed a racist and homophobic attack, which police now say is fake.

INSKEEP: The Stonewall uprisg - that was the begng of the morn gay rights movement...

I know that you were among those on Twter who were supportg Jsie Smollett, sayg that MAGA supporters attacked Jsie Smollett for beg black and gay. EntertamentJsie Smollett, who starred on the TV show Empire took the wns stand Monday at his trial on charg of stagg a racist, anti-gay attack on himself and lyg to Chigo police about . Smollett is acced of lyg to police when he reported he was the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack downtown Chigo nearly three years ago.

IS JSIE SMOLLETT GAY IN REAL LIFE, OR IS HE JT ACTG ON FOX’S ‘EMPIRE’ TV SHOW?

(Charl Rex Arbogast/The Associated Prs)Jsie Smollett took the wns stand Monday at his trial on charg of stagg a racist, anti-gay attack on himself and lyg to Chigo police about actor who starred on the TV show Empire is expected to share his acunt of what happened January 2019 an attempt to refute damagg ttimony om two brothers who ttified last week. They said Smollett, who is gay and Black, orchtrated the hoax to get publicy, givg them $100 US for suppli and stctg them to place a noose around his neck and yell homophobic slurs. They suggted that after the brothers, Abimbola and Olabgo Osundairo, were qutned by police about the alleged attack, they asked Smollett for $1 ln each to not ttify agast him at rts se at Smollett trial after star wnsJsie Smollett lawyer tells urt he's 'a real victim' of racist and homophobic attackSmollett's lawyers also have argued that Chigo police shed to judgment when they brought charg agast Smollett, and suggted a third person may have been volved the the wns stand Monday, Smollett told the jury how he grew up a close-kn fay of six children and started performg as a child actor before gettg more to said he "me to terms" wh his sexualy  his early 20s, when he got volved chary anizatns, cludg a group that fights AIDS the Black said he dned for the Empire role of a sger who is gay bee he had never seen a Black man portrayed that way.