Los Angeles, April 15 (IANS) Actor Jussie Smollett says that he cried after meeting a fan who shared that she almost committed suicide over her sexuality but didn’t because of him.
The female young fan told Smollett that she changed her mind about committing suicide over her sexuality after watching him appear on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”.
During an interview with the show’s host Ellen DeGeneres, the actor openly admitted that he is gay, reports aceshowbiz.com.
“There’s never been a closet that I’ve been in, I don’t own a closet, I got a dresser, but I don’t have a closet… I have a home and that is my responsibility to protect that home,” Smollett told DeGeneres.
The 31-year-old actor’s courage to publicly discuss his sexuality seemed to inspire many of his fans not to lose hope, including the young fan he met in a signing event.
“I get really incredible people. This girl came to a signing and she showed me she had cuts on her arm and said, ‘I swear to God.’ She said she was about to commit suicide and just happened to see me on ‘Ellen’ and it changed her life,” Smollett told E! News about his fans.
Smollett who is best known as Jamal Lyon to his “Empire” fans confessed that the fan’s story touched him so much that he started crying.
“I am a little sucker for emotion… But that stuff right there is crazy to think that you can have such a difference on someone’s life. It touches me in a really, really deep way,” the actor said.