https://www.instagram.com/p/B3SmcaEB086/

José Eduardo Derbez is an aspiring Mexican actor and the son of actor/filmmaker Eugenio Derbez and beloved telenovela actress Victoria Ruffo.

Last week, he found himself at the center of bisexual rumors after he posted a shirtless photo of himself to Instagram along with the caption, “Dead inside but standing like a tree.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Qrx_hhsqx/

Shortly after he shared the photo with his 1.3 million followers, a woman by the name of Lucía Camargo, who claimed to be a friend of Derbez’s ex-girlfriend, Barbara Escalante, told a Mexican tabloid that he was bisexual.

The Mexican press took the story and ran with it. And now, 27-year-old Derbez is setting the record straight, saying that he’s not gay or bisexual, that he’s never met this Lucía Camargo woman before in his life, and that has no idea why she is spreading false information about him.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4D8eBYh46T/

“This woman says that I am bisexual,” he told a local media outlet. “I have no idea who she is. I have never spoken a word with her. … She doesn’t even live in Mexico City.”

Derbez went on to say there’s nothing wrong with being bisexual, then joked that maybe if he were, it would help his career because he’d be more marketable, appealing to both woman and men.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrLL43UHEt2/

As for his ex-girlfriend Barbara, he says the two of them are on good terms, so he doesn’t think it was some sort of revenge plot on her part. In fact, after the story broke, he reached out to her.

“I wrote to her and said ‘Do you know this woman?’ She said: ‘Well, no, let me check.’ So she checked and then she said: ‘I think I met her when I was going in elementary school, but then she went to live in Guadalajara and I didn’t know more about her.'”

Derbez says he’s considering filing a defamation lawsuit against the woman.

Related: Telenovela star denies bisexual rumors, says there is “nothing more beautiful” than a woman

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated