Xavier Smalls #

Introduction #

Xavier Smalls, an actor on Tyler Perry’s Netflix drama Beauty in Black, apologized in March 2026 after a resurfaced clip from his February 7 Instagram Live broadcast showed him comparing LGBT people to murderers and calling them an “abomination.” The one-minute screen recording went viral over a month after its initial broadcast and drew intense backlash just days before the series’ March 19 release.

Background Information #

Smalls graduated from Sacramento State University and trained at New York’s William Esper Studio, completing his studies there in 2020. He stars as Angel, a male stripper, on Beauty in Black, Perry’s Netflix series that first debuted in October 2024 and chronicles the story of Kimmie, played by Taylor Polidore Williams, a former exotic dancer who takes control of the Bellarie family’s beauty empire after marrying its patriarch. His other film and television credits include Madea’s Destination Wedding and the short film Shelf Life.

His comments came after he had completed a three-season run on Beauty in Black, which has been renewed for a third and final season. The series has also welcomed several LGBTQ+ performers since its debut, including RuPaul’s Drag Race judge and Bros actress Ts Madison, a prominent trans personality who played a small role across five episodes between seasons 1 and 2.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

The clip came from a live broadcast Smalls hosted on Instagram on February 7, 2026, at 5:20 p.m., according to Instagram user Paul Poulos, who posts under the handle @monsterstargaga and told Entertainment Weekly: “I screen recorded it live & yes the recording is legitimate.” EW, which could not view the video during its original broadcast, received the recording from the person who reportedly captured it.

In the recording, Smalls told his followers that “God loves you” and “he loves all his children, whether you’re an atheist, whether you curse him, whether you live in sin. Whether you’re drunk, smoke weed, whatever, he still loves you.” He continued: “But, he’ll send you to hell, because when you die, there’s only two places, right? And if you live in sin on this earth, he’s so holy, he’s so grand beyond our imagination, you can’t kick it with him in heaven. Not because he doesn’t love you, but because he’s so holy, he can’t dwell with unholy people.” When Poulos asked in the broadcast’s comments section whether LGBT people are going to hell, Smalls replied: “That goes for other sinners. Scoffers, mockers, liars, all things that are an abomination. It’s not just the LGBT. If you’re drunk, if you’re an alcoholic, if you’re a murderer, these are all sins that God doesn’t tolerate.”

The screen recording went viral in mid-March 2026, sparking intense criticism on social media. On Sunday, March 22, Smalls published a lengthy apology on Instagram in which he wrote that he had “taken time to listen” to people, including friends within the LGBTQ+ community, and now understood “how my approach may have lacked the love, humility, and awareness that I believe God calls us to have.” He said those friends had made him aware of “some horrible things that have happened in the past, including the suicide rates among gay teens, the stories of people like Tyler Clementi, and the nine-year-old boy Jamel Myles,” helping him see “why words can carry so much weight.”

“Allow me to be very clear about my heart and intentions. Nothing I shared was meant to condemn or harm anyone. Every human being deserves dignity, compassion, and most importantly love,” he wrote, adding that he takes “full accountability” for the damage caused by his remarks: “I truly regret that my words caused pain… I am still learning and I will continue to learn and grow. I am truly sorry for any pain or hurt that my words caused. Please do not let anyone make you feel less than, including me. I will do better.”

Public Reaction and Consequences #

The controversy played out largely on social media, where the resurfaced clip was widely shared and condemned. Entertainment Weekly reached out to representatives for Smalls, Netflix, and Perry for comment, and neither the show’s creators nor the streaming service had publicly addressed the remarks at the time of its report.

The backlash came as the entertainment industry was already discussing faith, accountability, and LGBTQ+ representation. EW noted that daytime TV icon Kathie Lee Gifford also came under fire around the same time after making comments many interpreted as anti-LGBTQ+ during an interview with conservative personality Tomi Lahren.

Current Status #

As of late March 2026, there was no report of Smalls being removed from Beauty in Black; all episodes of the series remained available to stream on Netflix, and the show had been renewed for a third and final season. His public response to the controversy has centered on his apology statement, in which he said he was “still learning” and would “continue to learn and grow.”

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The controversy attached renewed public scrutiny to Smalls at a pivotal moment in his career, shortly after the completion of his run on a high-profile Netflix series. His apology was notable for engaging with specifics — the suicide rates among gay teens and the stories of Tyler Clementi and Jamel Myles — and for explicitly addressing the LGBTQ+ community and taking “full accountability” for his words. The episode also illustrated how quickly archived livestream content can resurface and reshape a rising actor’s public profile, and it fueled ongoing discussions in entertainment about religious language and LGBTQ+ representation, coming as it did alongside criticism of Kathie Lee Gifford over similar remarks.