J. Cole’s character Lil Murda. On P-Valley, Alphonse Nicholson was initially presented as a cold and unlikable man. However, season 2 of the show revealed a kinder side to Lil Murda by peeling back the layers of a marvellously complex character.
Speaking to Vulture, Alphonse painted a picture of Lil Murda as someone comfortable with his attraction to men but worried about how the community will receive his sexuality. The actor gave his rationale:
People like Lil Murda, who appear one way but have feelings for those of the same sex, face a lot of prejudice because of the stigma attached to their sexual orientation. Instead of being entirely himself, I think he’s more worried about being labelled.
In Reality, Lil Murda Is Gay Or Straight And Has A Wife?
In real life, J. Alphonse Nicholson does not identify with the gay or lesbian community. He is married to his long-time partner Nafeesha Nicholson, who occasionally appears on Alphonse’s social media feed but has a private Instagram account. At the end of January 2022, Alphonse uploaded photos to Instagram of Nafeesha and captioned them with the following:
“I adore celebrating you every day but especially on your day!! Happy birthday to you, my lovely baby! I love you!! I hope there are many more to come!” The couple is parents to a son but they have chosen not to make his name or appearance public. If you are interested and want to know another celebrity’s sexuality, click these links John Elton, Clint Eastwood, Jonathan Knight and Tim Malcolm.
Alphonse Defended Lil Murda’s S*x Scene With Big Teak Against The Criticism That It Had Received
The audience was taken aback by the s*xual encounter between Lil Murda and Big Teak because there was no indication that the ex-convict was attracted to men. The reception was mixed, with most fans praising the show’s portrayal of queer relationships and a few fans condemning the intimacy between Lil Murda and Big Teak. The majority of fans, however, praised the show’s depiction of queer relationships.
Comedian Lil Duval wrote in an Instagram post, “Yea, P-Valley lost me. They should have an extremely gay viewer advisory for films just like they do for everything else. “Because if you’re not used to it, that’s a lot to take in,”
On Twitter, Alphonse expressed his appreciation for the conversations the scene had prompted, writing, “The love is genuine, the hate is real.” Being [as] believable as humanly possible is the ultimate objective for any actor. Relax, precise, fierce. Even though @PValleySTARZ is a work of fiction, I am grateful for the genuine discussions that are taking place. Job well done.”
Nicholson was hardly the only P-Valley actor to respond to the naysayers. The following is a response from author Patrick-Ian Polk to Lil Duval’s tweet: “As a writer and producer for P-Vally and more specifically as a writer for this episode, I strongly advise you to remove yourself from Chucalissa immediately. You will not enjoy this show at all. Try watching something else instead. Because being gay isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.