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Watch Michelle Rodriguez Open up About Coming Out as Bisexual on Red Table Talk: The Estefans

In an exclusive preview of the second episode of Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Michelle Rodriguez, Rosie O'Donnell and Emily Estefan discuss their LGBTQ+ identity. Watch the teaser here.

By Jonathan Borge Oct 14, 2020 12:00 AMTags
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The Estefans have no problem cutting right to the chase.

On Wednesday, Oct. 7, Latinx pop icon Gloria Estefan followed in the footsteps of Jada Pinkett Smith and premiered Red Table Talk: The Estefans, a buzzy new spinoff show that finds her getting real, real fast. In the new series, the Estefan matriarch is joined by two co-hosts she's familiar with: Her and husband Emilio Estefan's 25-year-old daughter Emily, an LGBTQ+ musician, and 53-year-old Lili Estefan, her niece and the longtime host of Univision's El Gordo y la Flaca.

For their second episode, the trio is gearing up to address another complicated topic: sexuality. As Estefan fans might know, Emily came out as queer several years ago and inspired conversations about sexuality in her family. In an exclusive preview of the Wednesday, Oct. 14 episode, the Estefans are joined by Fast and the Furious alum Michelle Rodriguez and former talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, two unapologetically queer stars. 

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In the clip, Rodriguez, who identifies as bisexual, opens up about how growing up in a deeply religious family affected her sexuality. 

"How did your parents react? Did they know? Did you tell them first? Were they supportive?" Gloria asks at the beginning of the video. Rodriguez says, "Well, my family is Jehovah [sic] Witness. Birthdays and Halloween are, like, evil. I didn't get to watch Disney movies ‘til I was in my teens because of all the witchcraft." 

While you'll have to watch the full episode for all the juicy—and surely educational—takeaways, Gloria recently opened up about how Emily's coming out events impacted her own mental health.

"Three years ago, I lost my mother and Emily came out [as gay] at the same time. And for the first time, I really found myself struggling emotionally. The grief was huge. At the same time, Emily was pulling away because of what she was going through," Estefan told E! News in an exclusive interview. 

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As the family discussed during the first Red Table Talk interview, Lili experienced a tumultuous divorce from her ex-husband, Lorenzo Lauces, which brought the women of the family closer together. Gloria said, "I got Lili and Lina [her daughter] into therapy because of the divorce. They were in really bad shape. That's how we all ended up in therapy. That has helped us be able to come to the table." 

Of course, the show isn't the only platform on which the Estefans are getting vulnerable.

On Sunday, Oct. 11, Emily shared a loving photo of herself with her girlfriend, Gemeny Hernandez, in reaction to National Coming Out Day.

"‘National Anything day' puts a lot of pressure on us earthlings within these troubled times, let alone any. Here's my message . Be you. Be kind. Be better. Be open, be careful if you feel unsafe, be LOVE. Anything else is icing," she wrote. "I love you @holagemeny Loving you is worth climbing the highest mountain to scream it from. You push me, you pull me in, we make magic. And nothing nor anybody could ever make me believe any ounce of that is anything else."

Be you? Be kind? Be better? An uplifting message indeed.

Red Table Talk: The Estefans airs every Wednesday at 12 p.m. ET on Facebook Watch.

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