Jameela Jamil Reflects on Her Coming Out, Thanks Fans for Their Support: ‘Better Out Than In’

While actress Jameela Jamil is still sticking to her self-regulated break from Twitter, the star took a moment to reflect on the last week in a new Instagram post on Monday (Feb. 10).

Under a photo of her face with the word “Fuuuuu-k” written over it, Jameela said she last week was difficult to process. “Well. Last week was a perfect clusterf—,” she wrote. “It was completely overwhelming.”

Jamil was widely criticized last week after being announced as the MC and judge on HBO Max’s upcoming voguing competition series Legendary. Amid reports that turned out to be false (Jamil is serving only as a judge, not host for the show) and massive backlash from many in the LGBTQ community, Jamil came out on Twitter as “queer,” stating that “This is absolutely not how I wanted it to come out.”

In reflecting on the moment, Jamil wrote on Instagram that the timing of her announcement was inopportune, to say the least. “In a moment of distress and pain, personal things were blurted out because when you have a secret for decades and you’re traumatized, it always feels like it might just f—ing burst out of you at any given moment, even the most inappropriate and unfortunate ones,” she wrote, before joking, “I thankfully chose the *most* inappropriate and unfortunate time, maybe ever, for mine. So now you don’t have to feel embarrassed about yours.”

Jamil also took a moment to thank her many fans who came to her defense and who shared their own personal coming-out stories with her. “Better out than in, and thank you for the thousands of messages of kindness and deeply personal letters from strangers and people I know, coming out to me privately,” she wrote. “I don’t take it lightly and am happy for you that you felt ready to tell even one person.”

In concluding her note, the star sent a message of encouragement to her queer fans, letting them know that coming out should be something personal that they decide to do when they’re ready. “Don’t feel bad for hiding it for as long as you need, and move at your own pace. But feel no shame about getting it off your chest and know you aren’t alone. There is a huge community of people who understand you, respect you and stand with you,” she said. “On we go, hoping this week will be calmer than the last, and sending everyone the most love.”

Check out Jameela’s full Instagram post below:

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well. Last week was a perfect clusterfuck. It was completely overwhelming. The sequence of events was insane, a misunderstanding was left uncorrected for too long, and misinformation spread too far, too fast, then my timing was bad, and in a moment of distress and pain, personal things were blurted out because when you have a secret for decades and you’re traumatized, it always feels like it might just fucking burst out of you at any given moment, even the most inappropriate and unfortunate ones. I thankfully chose the *most* inappropriate and unfortunate time, maybe ever, for mine. —- So now you don’t have to feel embarrassed about yours. I PEAKED FOR ALL OF US! —- But timing aside. Better out than in, and thank you for the thousands of messages of kindness and deeply personal letters from strangers and people I know, coming out to me privately. I don’t take it lightly and am happy for you that you felt ready to tell even one person. Do it whenever you feel the time is right, as long as you think you’ll be safe. Don’t feel bad for hiding it for as long as you need, and move at your own pace. But feel no shame about getting it off your chest and know you aren’t alone. There is a huge community of people who understand you, respect you and stand with you. On we go, hoping this week will be calmer than the last, and sending everyone the most love. Jam —

A post shared by Jameela Jamil (@jameelajamilofficial) on Feb 10, 2020 at 7:29am PST