Jussie Smollet is receiving an outport of love and support from fans and fellow celebrities after being attacked in an alleged hate crime early Tuesday (January 29) morning.
As previously reported, the 35-year-old Empire star was brutally attacked in Chicago around 2 AM by two men wearing ski masks, TMZ reports. Jussie had just arrived to the city from New York and made a late-night run to a Subway when someone yelled: "Aren't you that f**got 'Empire' n**ga?" The two attackers, who have been identified as white males, then proceeded to jump the actor. While he fought back, Jussie was ultimately overtaken by the men. During the attack, the suspects also reportedly put a rope around Jussie's neck, poured bleach on him and yelled "This is MAGA country." Jussie rib's were fractured and he was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment, but has since been released.
Sources told TMZ that the actor had received a disturbing letter, which read: "You will die f**," eight days prior to the attack. Law enforcement sources told the gossip site that the Chicago PD is investigating the incident as a battery and potentially treating the incident as a possible hate crime. "Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime," Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said. "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."
Following news of Jussie's attack, stars from near and far sent messages of support to Jussie. Read some of their reactions below:
Photo: Getty Images