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Jussie Smollett had to shut it all the way down when it came to his “Empire” character, Jamal Lyon having a white boyfriend.
In an interview with The Clay Cane Show, Jussie explained after talks of his character possibly getting into a relationship with a white man, he had to speak up. He also stressed that his ask wasn’t a stab at white men, but a social responsibility to see two Black men in a healthy relationship, especially in media.
“But it was important and that wasn’t anything against white men. It was just a thing of…this is what I hope, this is what I want to see, this is what I wished I had seen as a kid because if I had seen certain things as an adolescent, I would have had a much different understanding of who I am in an earlier space,” he said. “I do think that is important to show.”
Jussie goes on to talk about how society views the LGBTQ+ community as oversexualized.
The actor and singer publicly came out as gay in 2015, and has often spoken out as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Jussie’s demand for a Black partner continues to push the boundaries on what same-sex relationships look like on TV, movies and beyond.
Listen to a snippet of the interview here:
TELL US: What do you think of Jussie’s character, Jamal having a Black boyfriend?
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