Actress Seyi Omooba (Se-Yi-O-Muba) has been required to pay £300,000 (approximately $382,000) in legal fees after losing a religious discrimination lawsuit against her former agents and a theater in Leicester (LES-TER), England. This follows her dismissal from a production of The Color Purple due to an anti-LGBTQ+ statement made on social media. She was originally cast as Celie, the lead role in the Curve Theatre’s 2019 production. The musical adaptation, based on Alice Walker’s novel, prominently features Celie’s same-sex romance with Shug Avery, a crucial aspect empowering Celie to confront her abusive husband, mirroring themes explored in Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning work. After she was cast in the role, an old Facebook post from 2014 resurfaced where she expressed views against homosexuality, stating it contradicted her religious beliefs. Despite Curve Theatre urging her to publicly disavow the post, The Color Purple star refused, leading to her dismissal from production. She sued for religious discrimination but lost the case. The tribunal found she had previously refused gay roles and hadn’t read the script. The court ruled her dismissal wasn’t due to her Christian beliefs but the potential backlash for the theater. The star backed by Christian organizations, appealed the decision. In a recent ruling, an employment appeal tribunal upheld the previous decision against her, requiring her to cover £300,000 in legal expenses. Justice Jennifer Eady concurred with the earlier judgment, affirming that her dismissal wasn’t due to her Christian convictions.
Home Happening Out Television Network Christian Actress Playing Celie In Color Purple Loses 5-Year Court Battle On...
