Empire Co-Creator Lee Daniels / Fox Respond to Jussie Smollett Racist Attack
By Amanda Bell 31 Jan 2019
Jussie Smollett and Bryshere Gray, Empire
Empire co-creator Lee Daniels condemned the racist attack against series star Jussie Smollett in an emotional social media video posted Tuesday.
"It's taken me a minute to come to social media about this because Jussie, you are my son," Daniels said in the video, before addressing specific details of the attack on Smollett, which occurred Tuesday morning and left the Empire actor, who is gay, hospitalized.
"You didn't deserve, nor anybody deserves, to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called, 'die f-----, n-----, ' or whatever they said to you.
You are better than that. We are better than that. America is better than that. It starts at home. It starts at home, yo. We have to love each other, regardless of what sexual orientation we are. Because it shows we are a united front. And no racist f--k can come in and do the things they did to you.
Hold your head up, Jussie. I'm with you, I'll be there in a minute. It's just another f--king day in America."
TMZ first reported the news about Smollett's assault and the Chicago Police later released a statement confirming a cast member on the Fox drama was beaten and hospitalized. (Chicago police did not mention Smollett by name.)
According to the police statement, two men approached the 36-year-old and "gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs toward him." Per the police, the two men beat Smollett, poured an "unknown chemical substance" on him (bleach, according to TMZ) and "wrapped a rope around the victim's neck."
The men, both of whom wore ski masks to cover their faces, allegedly shouted, "This is MAGA country," a reference to President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again." Police have not confirmed those specific details and a Chicago Police spokesperson told The Daily Beast there was "no report" of MAGA taunts from the attackers.
Representatives for the Chicago police department did not respond to requests for comment.