Justice Smith just gave the girls, the gays, and the theys a deliciously candid update on his love life, and it basically boils down to one thing, he is never dating women again.
The Detective Pikachu and I Saw The TV Glow star opened up on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s podcast Dinner’s On Me, where he talked honestly about sexuality, identity, and why straight relationships no longer feel like home for him.
Justice explained that it is not about suddenly finding women unattractive, it is about refusing to squeeze himself back into rigid gender roles that always left him feeling slightly wrong in his own skin.
When he dated women, he said he constantly felt expected to be the protector, the rock, the one who never shows softness, and over time that energy started to feel like a costume he was forced to wear.
With men, he finally felt like he could drop the performance, swap roles, be the big spoon or the little spoon, and exist in relationships where queerness allowed more room to breathe.
That perspective did not come out of nowhere, because Justice also talked about growing up as a Black queer kid in Orange County, surrounded by mostly white classmates at a performing arts school that was progressive on paper but brutal in practice.
He remembered classmates staging a fake coming out party for him when he was still figuring himself out, turning his private confusion into a public joke that stayed with him for years.
Moments like that made him feel othered and scrutinized, and they helped shape the complicated relationship he had with his own sexuality and the roles he thought he had to play to be accepted.
For a while that meant trying to date women and convincing himself that discomfort was just part of being in love, even when something in his gut kept whispering that this was not the full story.
Over time, choosing men exclusively stopped feeling like a radical declaration and started feeling like a quiet act of self care and self respect.
On the podcast he framed his decision less as a label and more as a boundary, saying that he is no longer willing to put himself back into situations where he feels boxed in by expectations about what a man should be.
He also pushed back on the idea that straight people get to define what it means to be gay or queer, reminding listeners that his identity belongs to him, not to whatever box someone else wants to tick.
Fans online have praised the interview for how gently and clearly he describes that shift, from surviving in spaces that mocked his queerness to building relationships where he feels genuinely seen.
Many queer viewers related hard to his story of trying to make heterosexual relationships work simply because it seemed easier or more expected, only to realize that living half truthfully is far lonelier than being fully out.
Justice’s honesty also hits differently for queer Black men, who often juggle racism, homophobia, and stereotypes about masculinity long before they ever get to think about what kind of love actually makes them feel safe.
By saying he will not date women again, he is not attacking anyone, he is simply drawing a line that protects his peace and affirms the kind of intimacy that allows him to be soft, playful, complicated, and whole.
In an industry that still loves vague answers and carefully worded press statements, hearing an actor at his level say something this specific and vulnerable feels like a small revolution.
Justice Smith is reminding his fans that queerness is not just about who you could technically be attracted to, it is about where your spirit feels at home and which relationships let you show up as your real self.
For now, he is choosing a life where the roles are flexible, the love is honest, and the only person who gets to decide what his sexuality looks like is Justice himself, and honestly, that choice might be the queerest and most inspiring part of the story.
📷 IG: @ standup4justice