Sometimes playing characters that viewers might not like has consequences, and Jay Ellis knows firsthand.
Accomplished actor Jay Ellis knows first hand the consequences of playing a character that often triggers viewers who watch at home.
The entertainer appeared on Andy Cohen’s “Watch What Happens Live” this month, where he talked about the time a fan slapped him because she wasn’t a fan of his character, Lawrence, in the HBO show “Insecure.”
The topic came up after a WWHL viewer asked Ellis, “Is it true a fan of ‘Insecure”’slapped you at the airport because your character triggered her, and what was your immediate reaction to the situation?”
Ellis’ response revealed that he was not only smacked but that it happened more than once, “The first time or the second time?” he replied, leaving Cohen, the audience, and Gabrielle Union – who was also a guest on the show that day, all in shock
“No!” said both Union and Cohen.
The actor who played football player Bryce “Blue” Westbrook in the “The Game” series said those encounters helped him understand that some “people are crazy.”
“I got slapped at JFK once. I was on a flight to Europe and was going to get dramamine from one of those turnstiles that has the keychain and all that on it. This woman was standing there and I said, ‘excuse me’ and she turned around and just -” Ellis cut himself off to mimic how the anonymous woman slapped him.
“I mean literally full hand. Like all the way across my face,” he continued. At this point, Cohen cut in with his own commentary to say, “OK, That’s assault.”
According to Ellis’ recollection, the woman then gasped in the same way that Macaulay Culkin did in the 1990 film “Home Alone” after realizing what she had done and quickly apologized.
“She said, ‘Oh my God I am so sorry, I’m so sorry. You just remind me so much of my ex-boyfriend. I am so sorry.’” Ellis said he went on to ask the woman “‘Do you hit him too? Because I could understand why he’s your ex-boyfriend.’”
He explained that what was even more crazy was that the woman wrote for a magazine, so she understood that he was just playing a character.
Ellis continued, noting the second fan encounter, “The second time was in Salt Lake City at the airport coming from Sundance. And a woman literally just walked up to me and she was like ‘F-ck you and f-ck everything that you stand for’ and just slapped me.”
He confirmed that the woman was in fact slapping him because of his role as Lawrence because he said the woman followed up the slap by yelling, “‘You know you did that girl Issa wrong.’”
“Am I tripping because his character got cheated on wtf,” one social media user wrote in the comment section of the “WWHL” post of the interview.
Do you have #BlackTwitter? 😂 better yet; who was more in the wrong on @IssaRae hit show @InsecureHBO, Issa or Lawrence? 😩 We talk about it all on this NEW @DrinkChamps! THURSDAY @RevoltTV 🍾🏆 @TheRealNoreaga @WhosCrazy #DrinkChamps pic.twitter.com/UfO5MDKxzj
— N.O.R.E (@noreaga) August 23, 2022
“Insecure” had a five-season run from 2016 to 2021 and had many of its viewers in a chokehold. The show navigates the tribulations, the growth, and the complexities of two modern Black women who are best friends.
Ellis, played the first boyfriend of the lead character Issa Dee, played by show creator, Issa Rae. The two had been together for years before Issa cheated on Lawrence after he lost his job and his ambition. Lawrence couldn’t forgive therefore, they break up, dated other people, but would frequently cross paths again due to their intertwined friend groups. Seasons later, they give their relationship another try.
But when Lawrence’s other ex gets pregnant just as he and Issa are adding flame to their old spark things get sticky, so Lawrence and Issa part ways again. But in the end, they do end up together. But fans were not happy he came back with a little baggage when they wanted a clean start.
Fans reacted to Ellis’ story of being slapped in the comments of the Youtube clip.
One person said, “Jay Ellis needs to hire security. He got slapped twice?” while another shocked fan wrote, “Wait…. That’s really happened!?!?!?!?!”
“Two women that slapped Jay need some serious help Not okay,” said a third person as another added, “That’s ass[a]ult and inexcusable. He should have got the authorities involved.”
Ellis fans advised people to “separate actors from their characters,” and suggested, “Maybe you should stay away from the airport!”
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