'Empire' star Jussie Smollett outed by co-star Malik Yoba, who says he was 'misquoted'

In Fox’s hit show Empire, Jussie Smollett plays the openly gay character Jamal Lyon, which is an intricate storyline on the show. In real life, however, Smollett refuses to answer questions about his sexuality. His co-star, Malik Yoba, apparently didn’t get that memo.

Social media caught fire on Tuesday when an interview Yoba did with BlackFilm last month caught on, in which Yoba seems to “out” his co-star.

He said of the storyline, “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."

Some took to Twitter to reprimand Yoba for outing Smollett, who clearly isn’t ready to talk about it publicly.

When talking with Sway last month, he said people should not “assume” he’s gay in real life.

RELATED: Empire recap: The Lyon's Roar

“But it's also fair, and I don't see a problem with that and I don't really care,” he said. “This is not a gay black show. This is a show about human experiences. ... I'm not willing to confirm or deny anything. I live my life. If someone is looking for a box to put me in, that's not going to happen. I live my life, and if you really want to know about me, just watch, because I don't hide anything. I just don't choose to talk about my personal life."

Yoba now denies outing him, telling USA Today he was “misquoted.”

"I was misquoted in the article. My reference to Jussie was only about his character and storyline on Empire,” he said.

image via Kristin Callahan/ACE/INFphoto.com

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