Nearly a week after claiming he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack, Empire star Jussie Smollett made his first public appearance, standing tall and calling out the “motherf*ckers” whom police have still yet to arrest.
The actor and singer appeared at the Troubadour, the West Hollywood nightclub, where he performed to a sold-out crowd that, as per Deadline, included Empire co-creator Lee Daniels, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and members of his family.
“The most important thing that I can say is to keep it simple and say thank you and I’m OK,” Smollett told the crowd. “I’m not fully healed yet, but I’m going to and I’m going to stand strong with you all.
“I had to be here tonight,” Smollett added. “I couldn’t let those motherf*ckers win!”
The incident happened on January 29, when Smollett — known for playing the openly gay character Jamal Lyon on the popular Fox show — arrived in Chicago. According to his testimony, he was on the street near his apartment at 2 a.m. when two men shouted derogatory comments at him, began attacking him, poured an unknown chemical substance over him, and put a noose around his neck. They then fled the scene.
Smollett reported the incident to the police. He was treated at Northwestern Hospital but was not hospitalized. Police scanned over surveillance footage, finally seeking two “persons of interest” in what Chicago PD spokesman Anthony Guglielmi dubbed an “assault and battery case.” Smollet himself has called it an act of “domestic terrorism.”
Smollett broke his silence on Friday, saying that “despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served.”
(Via Deadline)