News flash: Empire 's Jamal Jussie Smollett is gay. Groundbreakingly out and proud, Jamal is hardly what anyone could call "flamboyant": his shiny suit aficionado brother Hakeem Bryshere Y.
Gray , certainly outdoes Jamal in his love of bedazzling and drama, and Jamal really isn't the "yaass queen," type. But Empire never lets viewers forget that Jamal is gay, because Jamal has quite the active romantic life.
Jamal, and his thriving sex life, is propaganda. Empire co-creator Lee Daniels has talked at length about Jamal being a way to appease what he called homophobic black audiences, and it worked. He's Empire's most loved character, after Cookie Taraji P.
In normalizing Jamal, Empire made a commendable effort to show him as a full person, which means, of course, dating. And dating with abandon: Jamal has had -- and curved -- more baes than his brothers.
Some of these dudes had potential; others were total fboys. One thing they have in common: most were guys he's worked with, an incredulous coincidence that makes one wonder if Jamal checks LinkedIn for a rainbow flag before making hiring anyone. But who cares? Jamal may be thirsty, or irresistible to all men; fans are here for it either way. How have all his boo thangs stacked up? Here's a ranking of the boys he's given some of that Lyon fever so far from worst to best.
