Aunjanue Ellis, Star of King Richard, Comes Out as Bi
King Richard, has come out as bisexual.Ellis was already out to family, friends, and colleagues, she told Variety in an exclusive interview. “The way that I live my life, around the people that I live my life around, I am public about it,” she said. “I’m very clear about being bisexual.
I have a sweatshirt that says ‘Girl Bi’ that I wear everywhere.”But as to why no media outlet had reported on this aspect of her identity, the Lovecraft Country star said, “Nobody asked.”She was surprised that no one asked when she attended the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards in March in a suit jacket with “Queer” emblazoned in rhinestones on the left sleeve.“I was thinking, Why didn’t more people pay attention to that?
And I was like, they probably thought it said ‘Queen,’” she said in the Variety interview. “It wasn’t that I was expecting any sort of major reaction or anything like that.
One of my family members noticed, but nobody else did.” That family member already knew she was bi.Ellis, 53, was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Oracene “Brandy” Williams, wife of Richard Williams (Will Smith) and mother to future tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.
