Julez Smith, the 21-year-old son of Solange Knowles and nephew of Beyoncé, is trending after a March 13 appearance at Opium Nightclub in Atlanta. The event was promoted as an LGBTQ friendly night with Smith listed as the host. However, clips circulating online quickly sparked debate about how the night played out.
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Video shared across social media shows Smith declining to participate in a planned interview with Gaye Magazine inside the club. The outlet had promoted a live interview segment ahead of the event. In the clip, Smith responds “nope” when approached about the interview, which quickly ended the exchange.
The moment spread quickly online. Because of the video, viewers began questioning why the chat did not happen after it had been promoted in advance. Gaye Magazine later addressed the situation in posts about the event, explaining that Smith ultimately chose not to participate in the interview, despite having been shown the questions beforehand. However, that was not the only point people discussed.
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Some attendees and viewers also said Smith did not address the crowd or interact much during the event despite being billed as the host. Instead, he sat with women in his VIP section with his hoodie up, seemingly not wanting to be bothered. Some slammed the promoters for booking Smith for the LGBTQ event when he has not proven his allyship within the community.
It remains unclear why Smith declined the interview.
