Xavier Smalls did not just trigger backlash. He handed Netflix a mess it cannot wave away with a shrug.
The Beauty in Black actor is under fire after a resurfaced Instagram Live, first reported by Entertainment Weekly, showed him calling LGBT people an “abomination” and saying they were among the sinners God “doesn’t tolerate.” On its own, that is ugly enough. What makes it worse is the role Smalls plays on Tyler Perry’s Netflix soap. He is Angel, a hustler tied to the club world of a show built on stripping, seduction, and transactional sex. That is the part that turns this from routine outrage into a real hypocrisy problem.
The timing makes it even messier. Netflix’s Beauty in Black Season 2, Part 2 started streaming on March 19. The same day, Netflix’s Tudum pushed fresh coverage for the new episodes and the already-announced third and final season. So instead of another clean promo cycle about twists, betrayals, and power moves, one of the show’s actors is suddenly attached to a quote a lot of viewers are going to read as openly anti-LGBT.
The Quote Is Bad Enough Without Any Spin
According to EW, Smalls said in the clip that God loves everyone, then added that people who “live in sin” will go to hell. When someone in the live comments asked whether that included LGBT people, Smalls replied that it did, then lumped them in with “scoffers, mockers, liars,” alcoholics, and murderers, calling them “an abomination.” That is not a vague statement about faith. That is a direct answer to a direct question, and people heard it exactly the way it sounds.
EW also reported that the video came from a screen recording of a Feb. 7 Instagram Live. The outlet said it did not view the stream in real time, but that the person who captured the recording provided the date and time of the broadcast. That reporting gives the clip more context than a stray repost circulating without sourcing.
@netflix ‘Beauty In Black’ star ‘Xavier Smalls’ says on his Instagram live that members of the LGBTQ+ community are going to hell because they lived their life in sin. Can someone tell me why this man is still on our TV screens? @tylerperry @netflix #beautyinblack pic.twitter.com/pns4uAEjKc
— Paul Poulos Jr.
(@MonsterStarGaga) February 8, 2026
The Role Is What Makes This Embarrassing
If Smalls were starring in some preachy church drama, this would still be controversial. It would not hit the same way.
Angel is not written as a moral authority. Netflix’s own cast guide says he works at the club with Kimmie and Rain, and gets pulled into the Bellarie family orbit because Horace takes a liking to “the services he provides.” The official Netflix page describes Beauty in Black as the story of an exotic dancer crossing paths with a cosmetics dynasty and a trafficking scheme. This is a show that sells sex, sleaze, and scandal by design. That is why the whiplash is so strong. Smalls is cashing checks from one of Netflix’s messiest soaps while talking like he is here to hand out moral rankings.
That irony is the story. Not because actors have to live like their characters. They do not. But because audiences are not stupid. They know when a public figure sounds selective about what kind of “sin” suddenly matters to them. And that is exactly how this reads.
Tyler Perry and Netflix Are in This Now
Studios love pretending this stuff is separate. The actor said it. The show did not. End of story.
That is not how people read these situations anymore. Tyler Perry’s name is the brand. Netflix is the platform. Beauty in Black has been one of the streamer’s stronger performers too. Tudum says Season 1 spent seven weeks in the Top 10 and hit No. 1 in 28 countries in its second week. It also says Season 2, Part 1 reached No. 1 in 14 countries in its second week. So this is not some tiny niche title with no audience and no stakes. It is a visible show with a real fan base, which means the fallout sticks to more than one person.
EW said it contacted Smalls, Netflix, and Perry for comment. That is where the story gets more uncomfortable. Silence is not neutral once a quote like this is circulating. Silence becomes part of the read.
The “He’s Just Expressing His Beliefs” Defense Is Weak
Yes, Smalls is entitled to his beliefs. That line is obvious. It is also beside the point.
People are reacting to the content of what he said and the context in which he said it. Public speech has consequences. So does choosing to compare LGBT people to murderers and call them an abomination while appearing on a series that treats sexual commerce and moral chaos as weekly entertainment. That is why this story has heat. It is not just offensive. It is ridiculous in a very specific, very public way.
And that is the problem Netflix cannot dodge. This is no longer only about Xavier Smalls. It is about whether a show built on sex and scandal gets to act shocked when viewers call out the hypocrisy sitting right in front of them. So, who owns this mess now? Just Smalls, or everyone still asking the audience to hit play?
