Jussie Smollett, star of 'Empire,' attacked in possible hate crime

Sopan Deb

January 29, 2019 10:47 PM

Jussie Smollett, star of 'Empire,' attacked in possible hate crime

Jussie Smollett, one of the stars of the television show “Empire,” was attacked by two assailants in Chicago early Tuesday morning, an incident being investigated as “a possible hate crime,” according to police.

Smollett, who is black and publicly came out as gay in 2015, was walking on a downtown street when two people approached him and yelled racial and homophobic slurs, according to a statement released by the Chicago Police Department. The two attackers then began hitting Smollett in the face and poured an “unknown chemical substance” on him.

One of the perpetrators also wrapped a rope around Smollett’s neck before the duo fled. Smollett took himself to Northwestern Hospital and was described as in “good condition.”

“Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime,” the police statement said.

Representatives for Smollett did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Fox, the network on which “Empire” airs.

Danny Strong, an executive producer and co-creator of the show, wrote on Twitter that he was “deeply horrified and saddened” by the attack, calling the assailants “hate filled cowards.”

GLAAD, an organization that tracks representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the media, released a statement that said that it had reached out to Fox and Smollett’s team “to offer assistance as well as support for him.”

“Jussie is a true champion for LGBTQ people and is beloved by the community and allies around the world,” the group said.

Smollett, in addition to his acting, is well-known as an activist, particularly in HIV/AIDS prevention. On “Empire,” Smollett plays Jamal Lyon, the gay son of music moguls Lucious Lyon, played by Terrence Howard, and Cookie Lyon, portrayed by Taraji P. Henson.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Sopan Deb