Council of Dads star J. August Richards revealed he’s gay taking to Instagram Live. The actor was discussing his role in the NBC drama with his castmate Sarah Wayne Callies when he shed light on one significant similarity with his character.

J. August Richards portrays the character of Dr. Oliver Post on NBC’s Council of Dads. A role not often seen on television, Post is a married gay black man and father. Needless to say, the depiction of the character was extremely challenging for the actor.

J. August Richards Reveals He’s Gay During a Chat with ‘Council of Dads’ Co-star Sarah Wayne Callies

Discussing the pressure and responsiblity of portraying the role of Dr. Oliver Post in the NBC drama Council of Dads; one of the lead stars, J. August Richards, took to Instagram Live, where he revealed some extremely personal information to his castmate, Sarah Wayne Callies.

The 46-year-old star disclosed,

Honestly, it required me to show up fully in a way that I don’t always when I’m working. I knew that I could not portray this gay man honestly without letting you all know that I was a gay man myself… I’ve never done that with the people that I’ve worked with.

Richards continued,

That responsibility carried me to do that because I knew how important it is to other people out there like me, who would need to see that role model, so I took that responsibility very seriously.

The Washington DC native later took to Instagram to highlight the most significant moment from his chat with Callies. He uploaded a clip writing, “Why I let the cast and crew of @nbccouncilofdads know that I’m gay…”

The comment section, as expected, was filled with massive support for the Dr. Oliver Post star.

In the subsequent upload, Richards posted another photo donning a rainbow shirt, where he thanked all his supporters for the uplifting and celebratory comments.

The Council of Dads star concluded, “Who knew that something I once thought of as terrifying had within it something so beautiful… For every comment, like, emoji, repost, phone call, text message, everything. I felt it ALL… Thank you!!!”

The Actor Explains He Came to Hollywood to Represent Gay Men in a More Positive Light

Richards carried the aim of making it in Hollywood for one sole reason, and that was to tackle the oppression of homosexual people. The Agents of Shield actor explained he wants gay men to be represented in a more positive light.

If I think about why I even got involved in this industry, it was really to combat oppression.

The actor added he knew how he was affected by the people of color he saw on television or did not see on television for that matter.

Since his character on Council of Dads, Dr. Oliver Post, was a married, gay man, with a family, he did not want to take this opportunity to showcase an image into millions of homes lightly. Richards added he wanted the image to be honest and correct.

Watch: COUNCIL OF DADS | Official Trailer

Council of Dads premiered on 24th March 2020 on NBC. The story revolves around Scott Perry (Tom Everett Scott) and his family, whose life turns upside down after he gets diagnosed with cancer. Scott and his wife, Robin Perry (Sarah Wayne Callies), assemble a unique group of carefully chosen friends to support his family, known as ‘Council of Dads.’

The rest of the main cast includes Emjay Anthony as Theo Perry, Steven Silver as Evan Norris, Thalia Tran as Charlotte Perry, Blue Chapman as JJ Perry, Michael O’Neill as Larry Mills, Clive Standen as Anthony Lavelle, and Michele Weaver as Luly Perry.

Council of Dads episode 2 airs on NBC on 30th April 2020.

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