HBO Max: Jameela Jamil will judge, not MC Ballroom series

HBO Max has released a statement clarifying that Jameela Jamil will serve as a head judge, not an MC, to their upcoming ballroom voguing competition series titled, “Legendary.” The statement comes amid controversy after initial reports claimed that Jamil would be hosting the show.

A statement from the forthcoming streamer was announced on Wednesday.

“Yesterday, HBO Max was excited to announce Dashaun and Jameela’s involvement in the series ‘Legendary.’ For clarity, Dashaun is the series’ MC/Commentator, and Jameela heads up the panel of judges alongside Leiomy, Law, and Megan.”

HBO Max’s initial press release about the show seemed to state that the “Good Place” actress was booked as a host and judge on the highly-anticipated series. News about Jamil’s hosting gig for the show prompted a significant backlash, mainly from those in the LGBTQ community. Criticism surfaced that Jamil isn’t cut out to represent ballroom culture — one that was pioneered in New York primarily by black and Latinx members of the LGBTQ back in the late 1980s.

The outrage prompted a lengthy post from Jamil implying that the circumstances have forced her to come out as queer. “This is why I never officially came out as queer,” she began, referencing the fierce criticism she received online. “I kept it low because I was scared of the pain of being accused of performative bandwagon jumping, over something that caused me a lot of confusion, fear, and turmoil when I was a kid.”

In case you missed it you can read the actress’ full statement in the Tweet linked below: