Actress Jameela Jamil came out as queer Wednesday in response to critics who attacked her role in a new HBO Max competition series, claiming her judging a voguing show wouldn't be representative of the black LGBTQ community in which voguing originated.

Jamil, who was born to a Pakistani mother and Indian father, posted a statement Wednesday in which she said the struggled for many years to "officially" come out due to fear that she wouldn't be accepted in the South Asian community. "The Good Place" actress said she added a rainbow emoji to her Twitter name years ago but "kept it low."

"It's also scary as an actor to openly admit your sexuality, especially when you're already a brown female in your thirties," Jamil wrote. "This is absolutely not how I wanted it to come out."

HBO Max announced in September that it was adding a new unscripted series to its streaming line-up titled "Legendary," according to Variety. The series was a structured dance competition in which contestants would be placed in 10 "houses" for a voguing competition to win a cash prize.

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Jamil announced Tuesday on her social media that she would be one of the judges for the show, which includes other judges and hosts such as instructor Dashaun Wesley and rapper Megan Thee Stallion.

The actress said that she wanted to "help this show get made to celebrate this beautiful community."

Many felt that despite Jamil's comments, her place as a judge was inappropriate as voguing has its roots in the LGBTQ community. The dance style was part of drag competitions popularized by queer people of color and became ingrained in the community's culture.

Some critics felt that the actress taking the role was a direct contradiction to the brand of activism she has created for herself. Jamil has become increasingly popular as she has called out other celebrities and companies for perpetuating toxic body expectations and cultural insensitivity.

Look I get that we're all out here just trying to get a paycheck, but @jameelajamil how are you gonna work tirelessly on behalf of underrepresented people and then turn around and accept a job on a panel that should be populated with queer and trans people? https://t.co/iiCriF5YBt — adam ellis (@moby_dickhead) February 4, 2020

this confirms that Jameela Jamil’s activist work is in her own self interest. being cis-het, if she was a true ally, she wouldn’t even want to take up this space in the queer community. Billy Porter, Angelica Ross and Indya Moore all would’ve been more appropriate choices. https://t.co/Ww9YylrrSO — laTesha harris (@latesha_eharris) February 4, 2020

Legendary, an HBO Max competition series about voguing, with two cishet women as judges. No thanks. Were Billy Porter and Trace Lysette unavailable? Jameela Jamil and Meg are WoC, but marginalized people aren’t interchangeable, and voguing isn’t just a dance: it’s LGBTQ+ culture. https://t.co/yHMnmjKOq6 — The Cali Nerd (@TheCaliNerd) February 5, 2020

HBO Max attempted to clarify Jamil's involvement in the series in a statement released Wednesday night following the backlash.

"Yesterday, @hbomax was excited to announce Dashaun and Jameela’s involvement in the series LEGENDARY," the statement said. "For clarity, Dashaun is the series’ MC/Commentator, and Jameela heads up the panel of judges alongside Leiomy, Law, and Megan."

Jamil addressed the backlash and criticism in her statement Wednesday, acknowledging that being queer doesn't make her an expert in the dance, but that she hoped her privilege and platform would help uplift the show.

"Sometimes it takes those with more power to help a show get off the ground so we can elevate marginalized stars that deserve the limelight and give them a chance," Jamil said.

She added that she was selected as a "lead judge" because of her 11 years of hosting experience and would hopefully serve as a "window in" for audiences unfamiliar with the dance style.

The actress said that the show begins shooting Thursday, but that she planned on taking a break from Twitter for a while to avoid another round of "mean comments."