Jussie Smollet | Image: Instagram
Social media and newswires are currently ablaze with news that Empire star Jussie Smollet was attacked in the early hours of Tuesday morning, in Chicago, while leaving a Subway Sandwich outlet.
Chicago police officials have told CNN that Smollett was attacked by two people who were “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim”.
“A dozen police detectives, with the assistance of the FBI, are working the case on Tuesday,” according to police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi.
Meanwhile, Twentieth Century Fox and Fox Entertainment released a statement on the official Empire Twitter to express its shock and outrage at the attack.
“We are deeply saddened and outraged to learn that a member of our Empire family, Jussie Smollet, was viciously attacked last night,” the Twitter post reads.
The Empire tweet continues: “We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice.”
In addition to an unknown chemical substance being used in the assault, one of Smollett’s two alleged attackers also put his head in a noose and screamed, “this is MAGA country” before the pair fled the scene.
The show’s co-creator and Smollet’s rumoured partner, Lee Daniels, posted his strong reaction in a video message on Instagram: “It’s taken me a minute to come to social media about this because, Jussie, you are my son,” he said in a video posted on Tuesday.
“… Hold your head up, Jussie. I’m with you. I’ll be there in a minute. It’s just another f—ing day in America,” he concluded.
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(Compiled by Hayden Horner)
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