Jussie Smollett Addresses Violent Hate Crime - "I'm Ok"

Source: FashionPlusLifeStyle.WordPress.com

According to a report from Mashable.com, Jussie Smollett has officially spoken out following the supposed attack he suffered in Chicago on Tuesday night. The star wrote in his statement to Essence magazine, “let me start by saying that I’m Ok.”

The star went on to say that while his “body is strong,” his soul is much stronger. As it was previously reported, Smollett took himself to a hospital on Tuesday night after two men supposedly hurled racist and homophobic epithets at him, beat him up, and then tried to tie a noose around his neck.

The Empire star said to the police that the perpetrators yelled “this is MAGA Country,” claims The Hollywood Reporter. However, additional news reports have suggested that the police have been unable to find the men in question, and also have seen no evidence of an attack.

The reactions to the altercation have been mixed, despite media reports to the contrary. For instance, many people on social media have suggested that something about the case is suspicious and all of the information doesn’t add up, in addition to everything sounding quite theatrical.

Regardless, Smollett has received an outpouring of support with many people asking for justice and asking for police to take it seriously as a hate crime. Putting that aside, Smollett was grateful for the support; his statement read, “more importantly. I want to say thank you,” referring to his fans who had his back through such a difficult time.

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Yesterday, the actor’s family released a statement in which they blamed poor leaders for the attack, and described it as an incident of “domestic terrorism.” Additionally, Smollett said he has been frustrated with the “inaccuracies” as well as”misrepresentations” of what happened.

Moreover, Smollett said this sort of thing is happening to people like him on a daily basis. As fans of the actor know, he portrays Jamal on Empire, the son of Lucious and Cookie, a young man who faces considerable issues in the black community as a gay man in the rap scene. In real life, Smollett is an activist for the LGBTQ community.