Jussie Smollett May Have Been the Victim of a Hatecrime
Jussie Smollet, star of Empire, was allegedly attacked around 2 a.m. on Monday night in Chicago.
According to New Now Next, Smollett was reportedly attacked by two masked men who put a noose on his neck, poured bleach on him, and yelled, “This is MAGA country!” They allegedly also said, “Aren’t you that f*ggot Empire n*gger?”
The event happened as he exited the subway. Smollett claims he fought back but still suffered a fractured rib from the encounter. Chicago police are treating the event as a possible hate crime.
Chicago Police Department just sent out this statement re:
Jussie Smollett pic.twitter.com/DxQswZn8xd— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) January 29, 2019
Smollett was treated at Northwest Memorial Hospital and then released.
Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television, the companies that own Empire, released a statement about the incident:
“We are deeply saddened and outraged to learn that a member of our Empire family, Jussie Smollett, was viciously attacked last night. We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. The entire studio, network, and production stands united in the face of any despicable act of violence and hate—and especially against one of our own.”
This is another disturbing example of blatant hate, racism, and homophobia in 2019.
Sending love to Jussie and his loved ones. ????????
The hate that fuels white supremacy is the same hate that fuels homophobia. A conscientious society realizes it’s at war with both. https://t.co/hXo56SRDYj
— Raquel Willis (@RaquelWillis_) January 29, 2019
Photo courtesy of Jussie Smollett’s Facebook
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