Ear Hustle

Lee Daniels Hit TV Show “Star” And The Controversial Episode “Mama’s Boy” Casts All Eyes On The LGBT Community

EarHustle411 had the privilege of speaking with the director Lee Daniels and actor Tyrese Gibson about what could be the most controversial episode to hit the small screen.  Daniels’ hit TV Show “Star”.  This episode is the most talked about segment of the show in the last week or so because it will be touching on a subject that sparks debate in various ways.  There’s a line drawn in the sand as it relates to the LGBT community and how it is portrayed in the African-American community.  The African-American community has been at the helm of controversy before and as EarHustle411 listened to Lee.  Daniels discuss what he refers to as living in his “truth” and what prompted him to draft an episode surrounding the issues with a transgendered individual.

Take a look at the preview clip:

Tyrese says his involvement in the episode titled “Mama’s Boy” is something totally outside of his area of expertise.  Gibson had no problem sharing that the role he plays as Pastor Harris and having a relationship with one of his congregation members played by Queen Latifah is riddled with secrets.  Latifah who plays Carlotta Brown ans she’s been holding a secret from Pastor Harris that comes to a head.  Amiyah Scott who plays “Cotton” the offspring of Carlotta Brown.  Scott’s character is portrayed as a transgender which is a real-life truth for Scott provided Gibson with an inside look at how members of the LGBT community deal with day-to-day life.  Gibson says that although this interaction made him uncomfortable but it also made him look at the issue differently and while he does not bash nor condone anything in the LGBT community, he does believe they every person has the right to do what makes them happy, that’s it and that’s all.

While Pastor Harris prays with Carlotta Brown and Cotton at the behest of Brown, has Harris praying for God to come in and bring the man he knows that Cotton really is back out, the proverbial other show drops ultimately causing Pastor Harris to not only come to grips about his duties as a man of God but also to quietly challenge himself and who is he to judge anyone.

Director Lee Daniels,  who is an openly gay man had no qualms with informing EarHustle411 that his experiences growing up was not all smooth sailing and the method to his madness with his scripts where many include experiences he went through while growing up and as an adult.  He also made it very clear that the African-American community does not talk or discuss these issues regarding non-heterosexual activity.  They tend to push the issue aside and shun any behavior that is not traditionally considered “normal”.  He mentioned that he’s been bashed by the church on several occasions saying that he was charged with “airing” dirty laundry and justifying therefore condoning the supposed abnormal behavior.

The controversial episode aired on Wednesday, February 15, 2016 and as the plot thickens, it shall be interesting to see how Cotton moves forward from her mother’s attempt at bridging the gap in their already strained relationship not to mention how Pastor Harris will come to grips with his “judgemental” profession.

Take a look at couple of Tyrese Gibson’s interviews discussing his controversial role among other topics:

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