Empire just made television history with the first-ever primetime wedding between two black men

Olivia Harvey
Updated
Fox's "Empire" did something major last night. It gave primetime television audiences the first-ever gay marriage between two black men, and it's a huge deal.

A gay marriage between two black men occurred for the first time in primetime television history on the April 24th episode of Fox’s hit show Empire—and it’s a huge deal. The marriage took place between Jussie Smollett’s character Jamal and Toby Onwumere’s Kai. (Of course, this isn’t the only major press Smollett has received in 2019. In March, the actor was accused of staging a racially-charged attack as a response to being unhappy with his Empire paycheck, though all charges were eventually dropped).

And no matter where you stand on the Smollett incident, it’s undeniable that last night’s episode marked a critical moment for inclusion and representation.

Smollett’s sister, Jurnee Smolett-Bell, posted to her Instagram before the episode aired. She shared a photo of Jamal and Kai at the altar, writing, “Tonight, history will be made on @Empirefox. Its the first time two black men will be married on prime time television. Let that sink in.”

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Tonight, history will be made on @Empirefox. Its the first time two black men will be married on prime time television. Let that sink in. Jussie helped make this happen. Representation matters. I am not here to debate you on Jussie’s innocence ...because I know he is. But whatever your beliefs are, I implore you to watch this episode. To celebrate the purity of love that we can all identify with regardless of race, religion, gender, age or sexuality. We must celebrate the groundbreaking history this show, this character and the creators have made in bringing Jamal to our homes. The noise should be able to stop for 1 hour. We can’t let this moment pass by simply because they don’t want to let this man live. It’s bigger than even him. Tonight. @empirefox #loveislove #istandwithjussie #jamallyon #nojussienoempire #nojamalnoempire #representationmatters #teamjamal #Empire #empireFox #jussiesmollett #tarajiphenson #terrencehoward #istillstandwithjussie #istandwithjussie

A post shared by Jurnee Smollett Bell (@jurneebell) on Apr 24, 2019 at 4:35pm PDT

The moment marks major progress, and Twitter approves.

Well done, Empire. Groundbreaking doesn’t even begin to cover it.