Two weeks ago, Jussie Smollett was viciously attacked by two men who called him racial and homophobic names. Since then he has not said much about that hate crime, but today he sat down with Robin Roberts and described the attack and so much more.
He said he got home around 2a after a long flight and he was hungry. There was nothing in the fridge, so he went to Walgreens. They were closed, so he crossed the street to Subway and got something there. As he walking home, he heard someone scream, “Empire.” Then the next thing he knew one of the guys punched him the face. The Empire star punched back. One guy poured a liquid substance on him while the other one kicked his back. As fast as it happened, they were gone. In fact, he did not know they put a rope around his neck until he saw it there. He says maybe the whole thing was 30 seconds, but it felt longer.
He explains that as a gay man, he was not sure what reaction there would be if he came forward. He did not want to appear weak. Eventually, he called. When they arrived they wanted to stay outside his apartment. He invited them in because he did not want his neighbors to be disturbed. That is when he told his story to them, and it has not changed according to police.
The big question is why did he not hand over his phone to the tech for a few hours. He explained, “Because I have private pictures and videos and numbers: my partner’s number, my family’s number, my castmate’s number, my friends’ numbers, my private emails, my private songs, my private voice memos.”
Since the attack, he has had people support him and others call him a liar. He thinks if the attackers were anything but white, the latter would not be an issue.
On the attackers, he just wants them caught. He does not want them attacking anyone else. Plus, he feels he cannot move on with them still on the loose.
As he told that to Good Morning America, Chicago PD’s PIO Anthony Guglielmi Tweeted, “Through s meticulous investigation, #ChicahoPolice detectives have identified the persons of interest in the area of the alleged attack of the Empire cast member. These individuals are not yet suspects but were in area of concern and are being questioned. Investigation continues.” Then he added, “Important for media reporting: The people of interest are alleged to be in the area where a crime was reported. They are not considered suspects at this time as they are currently being questioned by detectives. We remain in communication with the alleged victim.”
Hopefully, the case will be closed soon and we never hear of another story like this again. It is 2019, racism and homophobia are a thing of the past and needs to stay there.
UPDATE: TMZ says that one of the two men being questioned by police is an actor who appeared on Empire. The other man is someone who was traveling with that person of interest. We do not know if the actor was an extra, had a speaking role or anything else at this time.
What we do know is Smollett was back talking to cops today.
