According to USA Today:
But, his co-star Malik Yoba may have broached that very topic when a Q&A he did with BlackFilm.com last month gained traction online Tuesday. In the interview, Yoba seemed to out Smollett as gay.
When asked about the success of the series and its impact, Yoba mentioned that the drama’s handling of a gay relationship and the subsequent tension about Jamal’s sexuality within his fictional family are important themes for audiences to see.
“I think that our show represents a huge opportunity to stay in the culture beyond entertainment value and there’s an intrinsic nature of you have the gay factor, right? So, obviously, Lee (Daniels, co-creator) is gay. That was an important storyline for him. I think it’s important for people to see themselves. Even within the Black community. But if you aren’t really, really taking it off of screen and making it live in the community in a significant way … like I know Jussie, he is gay, and he’s very committed to issues around the LGBT community. He and I have a very close relationship.”
Social media buzzed Tuesday in response to Yoba’s comments, with many news outlets fingering the actor for inadvertently outing Smollett.
Others shrugged it off saying they already assumed Smollett was gay and that Yoba meant no harm by talking about his co-star’s private life.
