Is jussie smollett gay in real life
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Welcome to the family Jabari!!! I just can't wait for that to happen because I have a life to live.
Empire actor Jussie Smollett reveals he is gay on Ellen
The actor told Ellen DeGeneres backstage "there's never been a close that I've been in"
19:11, 09 Mar 2015Updated 19:11, 09 Mar 2015
Jussie Smollett is "Jamal Lyon in more ways than one."
The 31-year-old "Empire" star came out on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after his character from the hit Fox series revealed he's gay.
"There's never been a closet that I've been in," Smollett told DeGeneres backstage after filming their interview for the episode that airs Monday.
"I don't own a closet, I got a dresser, but I don't have a closet," he added.
You know? But in November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction, determining that he should not have been charged a second time for the same incident after charges against him were initially dropped in 2019.
Smollett has repeatedly denied staging the hate crime and has maintained that the attack was real.
Smollett reached a civil settlement with the city of Chicago earlier this year, according to NBC News.
"And I just wanted to make that clear, but it was most important for me to make that clear to you on your show at this time in the world."
This time in Smollett's world has been a highlight of his career as an indie musician. Inside His Love Life
Real-Life Loves
Jussie Smollett is currently taking on one of the hardest tasks of his life as a contestant on Season 4 of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
So, any questions? In a statement released on Instagram, the actor said he would pay $50,000 to a local nonprofit.
"What I have to do now is move forward," he said. He played football and ran track at his New York high school, then ran track at Hampton University in Virginia and Morehouse College. "I live my life, and if you really want to know about me, just watch, because I don't hide anything.
"But I have a home and that is my responsibility, to protect that home."
Questions about his sexual orientation have come up for a while. I don't own a closet, I got a dresser, but I don't have a closet, but I have a home and that is my responsibility to protect that home. But honestly, we're human and we love and we do all that good stuff.
My mama likes me a lot. I just don't choose to talk about my personal life."
Smollett's co-star Malik Yoba made headlines last week when several media outlets and fans accused him of inadvertently outing the actor during an interview with BlackFilm.com.
In a statement to USA TODAY, Yoba denied that he had outed Smollett and was instead just referring to his character, Jamal.
Smollett's other co-stars, Oscar-nominated actresses Henson and Gabourey Sidibe, tweeted their support of his decision to share his private life with the world.
Scroll down for everything we know about the Empire alum’s love life.
Who is Jussie Smollett engaged to?
Smollett announced his engagement to Jabari Redd in June 2025. The men both starred in the 2024 film The Lost Holliday, but had not confirmed their romance at the time.
“I’m unavailable, and I’m in love.
Despite initially planning to become a doctor, Redd told Gaye magazine, “There came a point where I had to do some self-reflection and figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Now, Smollett is speaking out on the only platform he feels comfortable enough to do so.
"What you've done within the LGBT community is very much, in my opinion, kind of like what Michael Jackson did with the black community, just that you are who you are," he said.
"You're just Ellen.
But there is without a doubt, no closet that I've ever been in, and I just wanted to make that clear, but it was most important for me to make that clear to you on your show at this time in the world. In a now-deleted Instagram post, which included photos from his proposal, Smollett wrote, “He said YES.”
While it’s unclear exactly when the two started dating, Smollett first made an appearance on Redd’s Instagram page in 2022, according to People.