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

Contents:

• 'EMPIRE' STAR JSIE SMOLLET NFIRMS HE'S GAY
• 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
• 'I'M THE GAY TUPAC': JSIE SMOLLETT PLAYS FIRST NCERT SCE ALLEGED ATTACK
• PROSECUTN RTS AFTER BROTHERS TTIFY JSIE SMOLLETT DIRECTED THEM TO RRY OUT A FAKE RACIST AND ANTI-GAY ATTACK
• JSIE SMOLLETT TRIAL: 'EMPIRE' ACTOR FOUND GUILTY OF STAGG RACIST, ANTI-GAY ATTACK
• IS JSIE SMOLLETT GAY IN REAL LIFE, OR IS HE JT ACTG ON FOX’S ‘EMPIRE’ TV SHOW?
• ‘EMPIRE’ STAR JSIE SMOLLETT OUT AS GAY, STILL DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE

'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.

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

"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 . 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 .

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

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.

(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.

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

Earlier this week, “Empire” actor Jsie Smollett nfirmed that he’s gay a backstage terview wh Ellen DeGener, sayg, “There’s never been a closet that I’ve been .

Smollett’s character on “Empire, ” Jamal Lyon, who is also gay, explor the issu associated wh beg homosexual, cludg his tense relatnship wh his father.

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

“I am a gay man wh an extremely open heart. If I had to label myself, I would label myself as a gay man, ” the Empire actor, 31, told OUT’s Shana Naomi Krochmal. Smollett, whose Empire character, Jamal Lyon, is gay, ially addrsed the mors durg an appearance on The Ellen DeGener Show last March.

'I'M THE GAY TUPAC': JSIE SMOLLETT PLAYS FIRST NCERT SCE ALLEGED ATTACK

Why the f–k do you have to tell them that you’re gay?

PROSECUTN RTS AFTER BROTHERS TTIFY JSIE SMOLLETT DIRECTED THEM TO RRY OUT A FAKE RACIST AND ANTI-GAY ATTACK

It do not mean that homosexualy is not very real. But what I’m sayg is, I am a gay man. I am a gay man.

JSIE SMOLLETT TRIAL: 'EMPIRE' ACTOR FOUND GUILTY OF STAGG RACIST, ANTI-GAY ATTACK

Image source, Getty ImagUS actor Jsie Smollett lied to police when he claimed to have been the victim of a racist, homophobic asslt, a Chigo jury has trial this week, Smollett, 39, stood by nials that he staged the hoax attack agast himself. Smollett, who is black and gay, told police he was set upon by two assailants who shouted slurs, yelled a Tmp slogan, dumped a "chemil substance" on him, and tied a noose around his neck while he was walkg late at night Chigo. 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.

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

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. "The 31-year-old "Empire" star me out on "The Ellen DeGener Show" after his character om the h Fox seri revealed he's gay. "WITH A JUICY BLEND OF MUSIC, DRAMA AND OUTRAGEOUSNESS, 'EMPIRE' HAS BECOME THE BREAKOUT HIT OF 2015Jsie Smollett discs his role on ‘Empire’ and how he had to dn seven tim before landg the role of Jamal Lyon, who me out as gay a recent episo.

‘EMPIRE’ STAR JSIE SMOLLETT OUT AS GAY, STILL DON’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE

Smollett also revealed he's gay real life.

"Followg the episo when his character me out, Smollett received hate onle, but didn't ter him om movg forward wh the storyle or revealg he's also gay real life. Last week, brothers “Bola” and “Ola” Osundairo ttified that Smollett, who is Black and gay, directed and paid them to rry out a sham anti-gay and racist attack orr to garner sympathetic media verage. His fense attorneys have said he was a real victim and have suggted durg the trial that homophobia may have been a motive the attack.