It was surrounded around actor J. Alphonse Nicholson’s character on the show called Lil Murda. From my understanding, Lil Murda was involved in a raunchy love scene involving another man. The scene raised eyebrows from some viewers who thought it was over the top. Some also put into question Nicholson’s sexuality off the screen based on his willingness or comfortability in performing the scene.
The actor defended the scene and his character by saying: “It’s extremely important [to show these images] because it’s a part of life that not only is taboo within the [Black] community on a daily basis, but in the TV and film worlds as well,” Nicholson stated. “We haven’t seen that often, and even in the moments that we’ve seen it, I think it was kind of expected. Lil Murda is one of those characters that constantly gives you things that you don’t expect, and so I’m grateful that [creator Katori Hall] trusted me with the choices that were being made.”
Nicholson who is married and identifies as heterosexual talked about how he prepared himself for the role with TV Guide back in 2020.
“You hear stories about people being ‘undercover’ or ‘DL.’ Sometimes homies might have been in prison and may have formed relationships with men and when they get back, they don’t know how to be honest about that.”
He continued by adding:
“Taking the part I was like, ‘How can we mend these relationships? How can I understand Black gay men, all gay people, and be an ally? These conversations need to happen more in the Black community, and we can get to a place where we accept someone for who they are, simply because of who they are. I’m glad it’s sparking conversation.”