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

Contents:

• 'EMPIRE' STAR JSIE SMOLLET NFIRMS HE'S GAY
• 'B-BOY BLU' DIRECTOR JSIE SMOLLETT ON BRGG BLACK GAY MALE LOVE TO LIFE
• JSIE SMOLLETT ‘HAD SEXUAL RELATNSHIP WH ALLEGED ATTACKER’ AND ‘MET HIM AT GAY CHIGO BATHHOE’
• JSIE SMOLLETT: ‘I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN. I AM A GAY MAN’
• JSIE SMOLLETT TELLS COURT HE HAD COE-FUELED GAY BATHHOE ESPAS WH ALLEGED ATTACKER
• PROSECUTN RTS AFTER BROTHERS TTIFY JSIE SMOLLETT DIRECTED THEM TO RRY OUT A FAKE RACIST AND ANTI-GAY ATTACK
• 'I'M THE GAY TUPAC': JSIE SMOLLETT PLAYS FIRST NCERT SCE ALLEGED ATTACK
• JSIE SMOLLETT GUILTY VERDICT DON'T MEAN ANTI-GAY VLENCE ISN'T REAL
• JSIE SMOLLETT TRIAL: 'EMPIRE' ACTOR FOUND GUILTY OF STAGG RACIST, ANTI-GAY ATTACK

'EMPIRE' STAR JSIE SMOLLET NFIRMS HE'S GAY

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...

'B-BOY BLU' DIRECTOR JSIE SMOLLETT ON BRGG BLACK GAY MALE LOVE TO LIFE

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.

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

(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.

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. Smollett was acced of lyg to police when he reported that two masked men physilly attacked him, yellg racist and anti-gay remarks near his Chigo home 2019. "CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTERSmollett then sgs: "It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solvg the crime / Takg out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight takg liv / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the stris.

JSIE SMOLLETT TELLS COURT HE HAD COE-FUELED GAY BATHHOE ESPAS WH ALLEGED ATTACKER

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. 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. “You don’t rell seeg gay pornography?...

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

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.

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

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 actor Jsie Smollett has announced to Ellen DeGener that he is gay — whout actually sayg .

Throughout his reer, he has brought promence and plexy to Black gay men rol rangg om Magn the LGBTQ+ classic The Skny, which many nsir a breakout role, and, of urse, Jamal Lyon on the trailblazg seri Empire. 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 .

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

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. DISGRACED Empire star Jsie Smollett and one of his alleged "attackers" Abimbola "Abel" Osundairo may have vised a gay Chigo bathhoe together, acrdg to reports.

Now appears Smollett, who is openly gay, may have had a "sexual relatnship" wh Abel, Page Six reports. It’s known as a bathhoe where a lot of affluent black gay men hang out. Abel and his brother Ola have nied they are gay, and sued Smollett's lawyers last year for suatg that there was a sexual relatnship between the actor and one of the brothers.

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

The brothers have told police the money was for the fake attack, which clud the pair "shoutg racist and homophobic slurs, dog him wh a chemil and drapg a noose around his neck, " prosecutors say. Disgraced ‘Empire’ star Jsie Smollett pleads not guilty to new felony lyg charg after ‘anti-gay hoax attack. “I am a gay man wh an extremely open heart.