Paul Narita (Christopher Sean), a closeted professional baseball player, came out to his family in a scene spoken entirely in Japanese with English subtitles.
NBC / Sony
The same day that Fresh Off the Boat, the first Asian-American sitcom in 20 years, debuted on ABC, another groundbreaking moment took place on the 50-year-old daytime drama Days of Our Lives.
For months, Christopher Sean has played the role of Paul Narita — a half-Japanese professional baseball player visiting the town of Salem for arm surgery. When it was revealed that Paul was a closeted gay man, and the former love interest of out and married Sonny Kiriakis, he became one of three prominent gay Asian characters on broadcast television. (The others are Oliver Hampton on How to Get Away With Murder, played by Conrad Ricamora, and Brad Cooper on General Hospital, played by Parry Shen — both of whom are recurring and not contract cast members like Sean.)
As Paul began an affair with Will Horton, the writer assigned to do a cover story on his return to baseball post-surgery, he made the decision to come out publicly. Knowing that he would be coming out to the entire world, he attempted to get his mother and his grandfather to Salem to come out to them in person. When he was unable to, he made a heartbreaking phone call.
NBC / Sony
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