Jussie Smollett’s “The Lost Holliday” challenges queer acceptance in the Black family

Photograph by Sean Howard

Jussie Smollett is on a mission to tell inclusive stories.

From his groundbreaking role in Lee Daniels’ Empire to directing the film adaptation of our beloved B-Boy Blues by James Earl Hardy to his latest film, The Lost Holliday, in which he serves as executive producer, director, composer, and star, Smollett is all in on representation. 

The Lost Holliday is a rom-com meets dramedy about two Black gay men, a baby, and a fierce (and evolved) mother-in-law played by the legendary Vivica A. Fox. This holiday film (the title spells Holliday with two lls and is based on Fox’s character’s last name) delves into the intolerance and acceptance of queer sexual identity in the Black family. It’s complicated and nuanced, but Smollett normalizes it

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