Malakai Mitchell is one of the main characters in the brilliant soft reboot of the classic 90s teen drama Heartbreak High. Played by Thomas Weatherall, the character is a basketball jock and a newcomer to Hartley High. As a Bundjalung character played by a Kamilaroi actor, Mitchell is a fine example of the show’s admirable dedication to diverse representation.
Sexuality is a big part of the show’s diversity, with its characters representing various sexual preferences — and Malakai also contributes to that heterogeneity. In the show’s first season, he was dating Amerie Wadia, a female. After that, he had a threesome with Dustin “Dusty” Reid and Harper McLean — a male and a female — and started finding males attractive, prompting him to question his sexuality. However, despite his questioning, he didn’t explore his attraction to boys anymore in season 1.
In season 2, Malakai soon got with Amerie again despite agreeing with her that the two should avoid each other. But when a new boy, Rowan Callaghan, arrives at Hartley High, Malakai is attracted to him and starts questioning himself again.
Malakai Mitchell’s sexuality
Malakai’s attraction to Rowan makes him suppress his feelings — he essentially attempts to deny his attraction to males — and a confidential chat with his pal Darren Rivers results in him asserting that he’s not gay and is still attracted to Amerie.
But when Amerie notices Malakai’s lack of focus on her and his obvious attraction to Rowan, she asks him if he’s gay. At that point, he tells her he’s attracted to Rowan, officially coming out as bisexual.
Malakai and Rowan end up dating for a while, but Malakai is still in love with Amerie. However, with Amerie having moved on, nothing happens between them. Moreover, after Malakai and Rowan break up, Rowan ends up dating Amerie. It’s one of the most chaotic TV love triangles you’ll ever witness.
When the third and final season of Heartbreak High hits the small screen, expect romantic fireworks, as the rampant (and, frankly, wonderful) diversity of the characters’ sexualities could mean any two (or three!) characters end up together — and who knows who Malakai might have in his sights?