‘Severance’ Star Tramell Tillman Recalls Coming Out To His Mom, Who Told Him: ‘I Don’t Want This To Ruin Your Career’

Tramell Tillman shared a pivotal moment from his 20s… coming out to his mother.

via: Out

Even though Tillman's deeply religious mother eventually accepted his sexuality, her initial response wasn't necessarily just positive, Variety reports in an interview with the actor.

Tillman tried to come out a second time, a few years later, and chose to just blurt out the truth: "I'm gay." According to Tillman, his mother didn't necessarily react with judgment, but did express her concerns about it.

"I don't want this to ruin your career," Tillman's mother reportedly told him then. "I don't want you to be blackballed. I don't want you to be pigeonholed."

Tillman recalled that his mother's reaction came more from a place of fear than judgment. She then told him, "Anyone you bring home, I will embrace him as my son."

The actor recently became an Emmy Award nominee for his phenomenal performance as Seth Milchick on Apple TV+'s Severance. And this isn't just any silly nomination — it's a historic moment.

"[Tillman is] the first openly gay Black man to be recognized in the supporting actor drama category," Clayton Davis wrote for Variety. "The only Emmy acting category that has yet to crown a Black winner."

Severance is now streaming on Apple TV+.