Black Gay Couple Steps Into Spotlight in New E! Reality Series ‘Mathis Family Matters’
Judge Greg Mathis Sr. has been a familiar face to television audiences for over two decades, but now it’s his son, Greg Mathis Jr., 33, and his partner Elliott Cooper, 38, who is stepping into the spotlight and challenging stereotypes about Black gay men on the new E! reality series “Mathis Family Matters.”
The half-hour show, which debuted on the E! Network in June, follows Mathis Sr., his wife Linda, and their four children—Jade, Camara, Greg Jr., and Amir, as two of their adult children move back to Los Angeles from D.C. to live under the same roof for the first time in years. But as filming begins, Greg Jr. does not return to the Mathis home unattached. Cooper, his partner of six years along with their two French bulldogs—Knox and Dax also make the trip out west. This decision by the previously private couple has positioned them as a rare gay couple on national television where both partners are Black—resulting in their relationship being placed under a social media microscope with teachable moments for viewers that were not planned before their first day on set.
“There were some real moments where I think he [Cooper] and I had a conversation, like, do you want to continue doing this?,” said Greg Jr.
“It was great to have the support of my family from day one. But, I still didn't come out to them until I was in college. It took me a long time.”
- Greg Mathis Jr.
“The key thing that I thought about was the representation,” said Cooper. “When I was younger, when Greg was younger, we didn't see Black gay couples on television. So having that example gives leverage or opens the door for a conversation that needs to be had in a lot of families,” he added.
Amir, the baby of the Mathis family and a staunch LGBTQ ally and producer in Hollywood for over a decade, initially pitched the idea for the reality series to his family, which Greg Jr. tells The Reckoning took some convincing, but once everyone signed on and E! gave the green light for production to begin, it all came together. Most notably, the opportunity to show how the entire family has embraced the full humanity of Greg Jr. and Cooper. A sharp contrast to how the couple has been received by some viewers, who in 2022, still have a difficult time processing the inclusion of Black gay couples on television, and a family who unapologetically love and support them.
“I guess people are not used to seeing this on television, and it really does reflect in the way some people are reacting to it, but it’s just us living our lives and being normal,” said Greg Jr. “I don't see how that's trying to shove something in your face. Gay people exist. And so, just because they haven't existed on television for a very long time, doesn't mean we weren't here all along,” he said.
The potential fallout from his father’s Black fan base of his long-running court show was also a concern for Greg Jr. and Cooper, which Mathis Sr. tearfully addressed in the first episode.
“If you’re homophobic, I don’t watch you to watch my show. If you’re a bigoted racist, I don’t want you to watch my show,” Mathis Sr. said. “So him thinking that it would affect me negatively was the direct opposite. You [Greg Jr. and Cooper] have an obligation to show others, and to help others, and to lift them up. So, I view it as a blessing.”
While Greg Jr. says he has been fortunate to be embraced by his family, their acceptance didn’t always shield him from the homophobia outside of the walls of the Mathis family home.
“It was great to have the support of my family from day one. But, I still didn't come out to them until I was in college. It took me a long time,” he said. “But even with that being the case, it didn't necessarily make me feel more comfortable in the broader sense because you still know how your friends, society, your peers, and that whole section of society would think.”
“If you’re homophobic, I don’t watch you to watch my show. If you’re a bigoted racist, I don’t want you to watch my show.”
- Greg Mathis Sr.
Then, add growing up gay in the South, as Cooper did in his native Moncks Corner, SC, a mid-size town 34 miles from Charleston.
“I didn't come out to my father until I was in my mid-thirties, and it was because of the example of his family,” said Cooper. “About three years ago, I let down my guard and called my dad and I told him that I’ve been dating this guy named Greg for the last three years,” Cooper confesses on camera. “He took a deep breath, and he said, ‘Well, son, I love you, but I am gonna take my time to learn and understand it so that we can be closer together.’ I appreciated that,” he said.
Cooper tells The Reckoning that there was no judgment, stigma, or bias from the Mathis’ concerning his relationship with Greg Jr.
While this experience was true for the couple inside the Mathis family home, Greg Jr. speaks candidly about the Black church—a revered institution at the epicenter of Black life that for years was a source of his pain.
Bigger Than Entertainment
“I used to go home and [attempt to] pray the gay away, and I mean, regularly for a long stretch of time because of what I was hearing at church,” said Greg Jr., who recalls an anti-gay sermon he was once subjected to on a drive with first-born sister Jade in episode one.
Still a faithful churchgoer, Greg Jr. no longer subjects himself to ministries that are not affirming.
“Thank God there are churches that have evolved past some of the more archaic beliefs and the archaic interpretation of what the Bible says on this issue. But growing up, it definitely wasn't that way,” he said. “And I know so many people go through that. The mental anguish that it puts people through is just not healthy. It wasn't healthy for me.”
He cites a surprise text from an unnamed mega-church pastor as an example of the power of positive representation of Black gay men on television as a catalyst for change.
“The key thing that I thought about was the representation. When I was younger, when Greg was younger, we didn't see Black gay couples on television.”
- Elliott Cooper
“He said, ‘I’m sorry if I ever caused you harm.’ And he let me know that he's continuing to learn. He has a huge congregation. It meant a lot to me for him to proactively reach out after seeing the show and to text me that,” said Greg Jr.
It’s narrative-shifting moments like this when Greg Jr. and Cooper are reminded that their presence on the show is bigger than entertainment and comes with a level of responsibility.
“When we were filming, I wasn't even thinking about the weight that it would carry,” Greg Jr. said. “I knew that it would have some level of an impact on people that would see a gay couple on screen. I think now that I've gotten so many responses, [his DMs are flooded with messages from viewers, many of which he responds to directly] I'm starting to feel a little of that pressure. People are looking at what I do now. So I’ve gotta make sure I'm doing things that are a positive representation of myself, but also the broader community,” he said.
Greg Mathis Jr. and Elliott Cooper
If previews for upcoming episodes where Cooper appears to be proposing to Greg Jr. as the Mathis family looks on are any indication, the couple is about to take their relationship and Black gay representation to the next level. Likely, the fictitious wedding on the final season of “Empire” that was unfortunately overshadowed by offscreen drama was the last time Black audiences had an opportunity to witness two Black gay men wed on television.
With his parent's 36-year marriage as an example, Greg. Jr. says he and Cooper believe in the institution and can see the benefits of marriage, but admits this wasn’t always the case.
“I used to say that as long as we're together, that's all that matters. Looking back on it, I know a lot of that was me being nervous and not even being able to picture what marriage for myself would look like to another man,” Greg Jr. said. “It was almost like a defense mechanism for me to just say, I don't want to be married because I couldn't picture it. I wasn't comfortable with the idea of it. But I think after I became more comfortable with myself as a gay man, it clicked,” he said.”
“There is a better way. You can love your brothers, your sons, and your LGBTQ relatives.”
“We wanted to make sure we can protect each other from a legal standpoint,” Cooper said. “Not to say marriage has to confirm our love for each other, but it is a good legal way to make sure that we’re both protected. But it's definitely one of the things we’re excited about.”
And when the time comes, Greg Jr. says the couple will opt for a big wedding.
“I don’t want anyone to feel left out,” Greg Jr. says jokingly as Cooper gives him a look to indicate that he’s onto him.
“When we were filming, I wasn't even thinking about the weight that it would carry. I knew that it would have some level of an impact on people that would see a gay couple on screen.”
- Greg Mathis Jr.
But in a very Mathis way, Greg Jr’s expansive guest list and his desire to be inclusive of everyone who’d like to celebrate him and Cooper as they begin the next chapter in their lives is symbolic of the unconditional love and acceptance that extends from Mathis Sr. and Linda to all of their children, with no exception made based upon sexual orientation—a powerful lesson that should be the rule in all Black households and not the exception.
“There is a better way,” said Greg Jr. “You can love your brothers, your sons, and your LGBTQ relatives.”
“Mathis Family Matters” airs on the E! Network on Sundays at 10ET/9CT
