Cyrus Langhorne
“Empire” star Jussie Smollett is back in familiar territory after becoming victim to a possible hate crime this week. The singer and actor returned to Los Angeles Thursday (January 31) and is slated to perform in less than 48 hours.
According to reports, Smollett is expected to break his silence on the assault at a scheduled Hollywood performance.
Jussie has a concert Saturday night at the legendary Troubadour, and we’re told the show will go on. Tickets for the venue — which has a capacity of 400 — were available Tuesday, but with all the hubbub it’s now sold out. The tickets were going for $20-$35 a pop, but they’re being resold for 70 bucks and more. We’re told Jussie, who still bears scars and swelling, will almost certainly make reference to homophobia, racism and MAGA. (TMZ)
During a press conference, President Donald Trump called the assault nothing less than horrible.
On Thursday, the President of the United States was asked about the homophobic, racist attack against Smollett by a reporter in the Oval Office. “That, I can tell you, is horrible,” Trump said. “I’ve seen it, last night. I think that’s horrible. It doesn’t get worse as far as I’m concerned.” (E! News)
Coincidentally, Smollett’s attack came from alleged Make America Great Again supporters.
4:00 PM PT — Chicago PD confirms to TMZ Jussie told them, in a follow-up interview, about the attackers yelling, “MAGA country.” They add Jussie still had the rope around his neck when he made contact with cops at 2:42 AM. Remember, the attack happened around 2 AM. (TMZ)
This week, comedian Mike Epps invited Jussie’s attackers to run up on him next month.
