Actress in Color Purple stage play under fire for past homophobic comments
Actress Seyi Omooba is receiving backlash over anti-LGBTQ comments made years ago.
An actress playing in the lead role in The Color Purple stage play in England, Seyi Omooba, is under fire after anti-gay remarks re-surfaced possibly giving credence to some hypocrisy given that she’s playing a woman who engages in a same-sex relationship.
The critically-acclaimed story, written by Alice Walker, follows the story of Celie and the abuse she endured at the hands of a man during the early-to-mid 20th century. Celie ultimately meets a woman named Shug, who helps her to open up and muster up the courage to fight for her own freedom. The two develop a romantic and sexual relationship along the way.
—Cardi B shares heartfelt message about the loss of one of her biggest fans—
On Friday, it was announced that Omooba would assume the leading role as Celie (played by Whoopi Goldberg in the movie version).
However, actor Aaron Lee Lambert called out Omooba for 2014 Facebook posts condemning gay people, The NY Daily News reports.
@Seyiomooba Do you still stand by this post? Or are you happy to remain a hypocrite? Seeing as you’ve now been announced to be playing an LGBTQ character, I think you owe your LGBTQ peers an explanation. Immediately. pic.twitter.com/GK2xbzZYgy
— Aaron Lee Lambert (he/him) (@aleelambert) March 15, 2019
Omooba wrote: “Some Christians have completely misconceived the issue of homosexuality” and that it is “clearly evident” what the Bible has to say in the matter.
“I do not believe you can be born gay, and I do not believe homosexuality is right,” she wrote. And even “though the law of this land has made it legal doesn’t mean it’s right.”
“Christians, we need to step up and love but also tell the truth of God’s word. I am tired of lukewarm Christianity, be inspired to stand up for what you believe and the truth,” she wrote.
—‘Good Morning America’s’ Robin Roberts to host ABC’s first-ever NFL draft coverage—
Lambert is currently in the West End production of Hamilton.
He questioned Omooba about her past comments.
“Do you still stand by this post? Or are you happy to remain a hypocrite? Seeing as you’ve now been announced to be playing an LGBTQ character, I think you owe your LGBTQ peers an explanation. Immediately,” he said on Twitter.
Omooba’s comments caused outrage online.
I would love to know if @Seyiomooba stands by these bigoted comments on homosexuality she made in 2014 or whether she has evolved on the matter – after all it could affect her relationship with many of her fellow colleagues and of course the show’s potential #LGBTQ audience? pic.twitter.com/QDNk8XDCBU
— Ivan Jackson (@IvanJacksonUK) March 15, 2019
What a shame – I was excited to see this but will NOT be buying a ticket if a BIGOT is playing the role …. unbelievable that someone in our industry (where our LGBTQ community is a fundamental presence/life force in our art )can have such an insular view on LOVE ❤️ ?️?
— Amy Lennox (@misslenn) March 16, 2019
Totally unacceptable. That lead casting needs to be reconsidered. Absolutely will not see this if she remains in the lead. Awful.
— Jacob (@OhHeyJacob) March 15, 2019
Her comments prompted an investigation into the matter by Leicester’s Curve and Birmingham Hippodrome, which are both involved in the show’s production. They tweeted:
“The views expressed in the historic social media post by a member of Curve and Brum Hippodrome’s The Color Purple cast in no way reflect those held by either of our theatres. We will be looking into the matter and will issue a full response in due course,” they said.
On Friday a social media post from 2014 by one of THE COLOR PURPLE cast members was brought to our attention. The views shared in this post do not in any way reflect the views of Curve or Birmingham Hippodrome. (1/2)
— Birmingham Hippodrome (@brumhippodrome) March 18, 2019
We are continuing to investigate this and a full statement will be issued as a matter of priority. (2/2)
— Birmingham Hippodrome (@brumhippodrome) March 18, 2019
The show is set to open June 28.