The family of Empire actor Jussie Smollett called his recent assault at the hands of two men in Chicago “domestic terrorism,” according to a family statement. Sister and actress Jurnee Smollett-Bell, alongside a photo of her five siblings, shared the lengthy statement on Instagram. “Because there’s a light in him that cannot be dimmed, because we are a family of joyful warriors, we will not let this get the best of us,” Jurnee wrote before sharing the statement. “Although this is a picture from happier times, this is the spirit to which we chose to move forward…they will not steal, our joy.” Credit: Instagram The statement called the attack a “racial and homophobic hate crime.” “Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice.” The family also addressed how homophobia and racism affect others like Jussie every day. “We want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings, many who reside within the intersection of multiple identities, on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes even daily basis all across our country. Oftentimes ending fatally, these are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such. They will continue to occur until we hold each other accountable.” Read the full statement below. https://www.instagram.com/p/BtUwaKBlhJK/ The 35-year-old actor, who lives in Chicago while filming Empire, told police that he had gone for a bite to eat in an upscale neighborhood about 2 a.m. Tuesday when two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs attacked and injured his face. According to the Chicago Police Department, Jussie said the attackers, described only as men in dark clothing and ski masks, doused him with a chemical and wrapped a rope around his neck. .<doc-sep>Sharing his story. Jussie Smollett has broken his silence after he was attacked in an apparent hate crime that left him hospitalized in Chicago. “Let me start by saying that I’m OK. My body is strong but my soul is stronger. More importantly I want to say thank you. The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words,” the Empire star, 36, said in a statement to Essence on Friday, February 1. “I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level. Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served,” he continued. “As my family stated, these types of cowardly attacks are happening to my sisters, brothers and non-gender conforming siblings daily. I am not and should not be looked upon as an isolated incident. We will talk soon and I will address all details of this horrific incident, but I need a moment to process. Most importantly, during times of trauma, grief and pain, there is still a responsibility to lead with love. It’s all I know. And that can’t be kicked out of me. With Love, respect & honor … Jussie.” The statement comes three days after Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi confirmed to Us Weekly that the Mighty Ducks actor transported himself to a local hospital following the incident. Guglielmi explained that Smollett was approached by two people on Tuesday, January 29, who were “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs toward him.” Guglielmi continued: “The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim. At some point during the incident, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck.” Smollett — who came out as gay in a 2015 interview with Ellen DeGeneres — was released from Northwestern Memorial Hospital in “good condition” later that day, according to the spokesman. “Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime,” Guglielmi added. “Detectives are currently working to gather video, identify potential witnesses and establish an investigative timeline. The victim is fully cooperating with investigators, and we ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Area Central Detectives at 312-747-8382 or report it anonymously to www.cpdtip.com.” Chicago police confirmed to Us Weekly on Wednesday, January 30, that police had found potential persons of interest in a surveillance video. Following the attack, many celebrities spoke out in support of Smollett, including his Empire costars Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson. “Jaws dropped to the ground,” Howard, who plays the actor’s father on the show, said during a Good Morning America interview on Tuesday morning. “And then when we learned there had been letters that had been sent to Fox as threats about the potential of something like this … then we became much more frightened.” As for how Smollett is handling the situation, Howard, 49, explained: “You know, he’s angry, but I know Jussie … Jussie’s anger will dissipate and he will forgive these people for what they did. But he won’t — and we cannot — forget their actions. They have to be forgiven because it was done out of ignorance.” Henson, for her part, took to Instagram the following day to share her thoughts. “I wish what happened to my baby was just one big bad joke but it wasn’t and we all feel his pain right now,” the 48-year-old What Men Want actress, who portrays Smollett’s mother on Empire, wrote. “@jussiesmollett is pure love to the bone AND THAT IS WHY SO MANY ARE FEELING HIS PAIN BECAUSE IT IS OUR PAIN!!! I tell you one thing HATE WILL NOT WIN!!!! My baby is resilient and love still lives in him. The devil and his minions are very busy right now but one thing is for sure and two things are for certain #GODIS and that is all I know.”<doc-sep>
Two days after an alleged racial and homophobic assault on the Empire star in Chicago, Jussie Smollett’s family has hit back at the attack, the as yet unknown individuals who perpetrated it and similar “hate crimes” against “our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings.” “Oftentimes ending fatally, these are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such, the Smollett family including Underground alum Jurnee Smollett-Bell added in a statement Thursday. “They will continue to occur until we hold each other accountable. Make no mistake, words matter.” The latter sentence in the statement (which is in full below) appears to be aimed at unconfirmed reports that the attackers chanted “this is MAGA country” at the actor who plays the openly gay Jamal Lyon on the Taraji P. Henson- and Terrence Howard-led Empire. Related Story Donald Trump Calls Jussie Smollett Attack 'Horrible'; 'Empire' Back In Production - Update The Chicago Police have confirmed that Smollett was attacked in the early hours of January 29 having just returned to the very cold Windy City on a delayed flight from NYC. the actor was hit over and over and had an unknown chemical substance that we’ve been told was bleach poured over him. The attackers also reportedly put a rope around Smollett’s neck before fleeing the scene. After reporting the assault to police and conducting an initial interview with them, Smollett drove himself to Northwestern Hospital. He returned to his home under increased security later Tuesday and was said to be in good condition, police said. Empire co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong as well as Fox have offered strong words of support for Smollett, who plays the openly gay Jamel Lyon on the primetime series. The show shut down for production yesterday due to the harsh cold covering the MidWest but Empire is filming today, as Deadline reported earlier. Late Wednesday, Chicago PD released released video surveillance images of what they call “people of interest” in the January 29 attack on Smollett. Earlier this week, the police said that they were treating the incident as a “possible hate crime.” There are no briefings set for today from the police’ chief communications officer Anthony Guglielmi on Thursday in what he now referred to as an “assault and battery case.” Read the full statement from the Smollett family here: