Yvonne Orji

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Actress Yvonne Orji recently discussed what it’s like to be a virgin at the age of 39, prompting a slew of reactions online.
The comedian and actress Yvonne Orji, best known for her Emmy-nominated role as Molly Carter on the hit HBO series Insecure, joined Chelsea Handler on her Dear Chelsea podcast on iHeart Radio. During the interview, Handler asked Orji offhandedly if she was still a virgin. “I am,” Orji responded strongly.

Handler would burst into laughter as she replied, “Oh my God, I love this. This is the most original guest we’ve ever had on.  And what are you, 39? Oh my God. That dam is going to break one day, baby.” Orji greeted that with mirth. “Pray for him, whoever he is, there’s a lot of pent-up energy up in here with me,” Orji said. Handler ran with the energy, telling Orji “You’re going to hit your sexual peak when you start having sex, so yeah, you’re going to need a couple of men, probably.” Orji burst into laughter after that, replying: “Yvonne went from being a virgin to polyamory.”
The reactions online to the interview, which took place in September were primarily supportive of Yvonne Orji and her choice to remain a virgin until marriage. A look at Instagram comments from a recap of the story by The Jasmine Brand showed as much, with one commenter by the name of Britneyyamyaa saying, “That’s commendable, that’s how it was intended to be. I don’t understand the outrage.” And another, Vanessa Anyauke, wrote, “She ain’t missing a thing ❤️”

The A Black Lady Sketch Show alum has been forthright in past interviews about her decision to remain a virgin until marriage, citing her Christian faith as the foundation for her choice. In a PEOPLE interview from 2017, she explained that “I’m grounded in who I am.” Elaborating further she said: “I can inform your curiosity, as opposed to everyone being in the dark and just sort of creating their own narrative about it.”