King Richard star Aunjanue Ellis is living her true, authentic life, revealing in a new interview with Variety that she’s bisexual.
Although the news isn’t news to those close to the actress, her sexuality wasn’t something that had been in the media before, and the reason is simple.
“Nobody asked,” Ellis shared.
The Oscar nominee even recalled wearing a Dolce & Gabbana suit jacket with the word “Queer” in rhinestones back in March at the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards.
“I was thinking, ‘Why didn’t more people pay attention to that? And I was like, they probably thought it said ‘Queen,'” she said with a laugh.
As for why she never brought up the topic herself, Ellis explained, “How do you work that into the conversation, in the middle of me talking about this movie? I’m not that chick.”
“My job was to talk about King Richard, the Williams family, these wonderful young women I worked with, Will Smith’s incredible work in that movie,” she continued. “I wasn’t going to be like, ‘And by the way, in case you ain’t heard yet…’ Because that’s artificial.”
Ellis, 53, said she’s “very clear about being bisexual,” noting, “I have a sweatshirt that says ‘Girl Bi’ that I wear everywhere.” However, she added that Black women in the entertainment industry fail to recognize her as part of the LGBTQ community.
“There is an assumption made of me, a presumption made of me. Is it because I’m a Black woman from Mississippi? Is it because I’m older?” Ellis mused. “I don’t know what the mechanics are that goes into them not processing, or them not just being able to believe that in the same way I am Black, I am queer. This is who I am.”
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Judge rules Kelly Clarkson’s ex-husband owes her $2.6 million for “unlawfully” negotiating deals for her
December 1, 2023
Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock in early 2020; David Crotty/Patrick McMullan via Getty…
Music notes: Ariana Grande, Olivia Rodrigo and more
December 1, 2023
Bowen Yang has nothing but nice words to say about Ariana Grande. The Saturday Night Live cast…
‘Home Alone’ star Macaulay Culkin honored during Walk of Fame ceremony
December 1, 2023
Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesMacaulay Culkin received a Walk of Fame star this week. The actor, 43, who…
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson joins ‘RoboForce: The Animated Series’
December 1, 2023
The Nacelle Company; ABC/Paula LoboDwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions is…
Stephen Colbert getting back to ‘The Late Show Monday’ following appendix surgery
December 1, 2023
CBS/Mary Ellen MatthewsABC Audio has confirmed Stephen Colbert will be back behind the desk at The…
“Doja who?” was Dionne Warwick’s reaction to her song being sampled in “Paint the Town Red”
December 1, 2023
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversalDoja Cat's "Paint the Town Red" became her second number one a few months…
Jodie Foster on the how “amazing” it is acting in her 60s, mentoring and Marvel movies
December 1, 2023
Elyse Jankowski/FilmMagicJodie Foster's first Oscar nomination came at just 14 years old for her…
Reality Roundup: Rachel Leviss gets a podcast, ’90 Day Fiancé’ couple has a baby and more
December 1, 2023
Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here's a look at what happened in the world of reality…