Terrence Howard is singing the praises of hisEmpirecostarJussie Smollett, in the wake of theapparent homophobic and racially charged attackon the actor.
“I heard he’s getting better. You know, he’s angry,” Howard said. “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.”
At around 2 a.m. local time in Chicago on Tuesday, theEmpirestar went to the hospital after he was the victim of an apparent hate crime.
The Chicago Police Department confirmed in a statement that a member of the hit Fox show was involved in a “racially-charged assault and battery,” though they did not name Smollett.
John Lamparski/Getty; Amanda Edwards/WireImage
Jussie Smollett andEmpirecostar Terrence Howard.FOX/Getty
Smollett’s reps did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Smollett has reportedly been the target of threats before. Police confirmed to ABC News that a letter containing threatening language, laced with a powdery substance believed to be Tylenol, was sent to Smollett at the Fox studio in Chicago last week.
The FBI is now said to be investigating, ABC News reported.
That information was particularly disturbing to Howard and hisEmpirecostars.
He toldGMAthat when theEmpirecast first heard the news about Smollett, their “jaws dropped to the ground.” But the reports about the letters scared them even more. “When we learned that there had been letters that had been sent to Fox as threats about the potential about this, then we became much more frightened,” Howard said.
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Howard is the third member of theEmpirefamily to speak out about Smollett. As news broke about his attack, the Fox show’s creator Lee Daniels shared his thoughtsin a video on Instagram.
“It’s taken me a minute to come to social media about this because, Jussie, you are my son,” the 59-year-old director said. “You didn’t deserve — nor does anybody deserve — to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called, ‘Die, f—t n—r’ 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 … We have to love each other regardless of what sexual orientation we are because it shows that we are … [a] united front and no racist f—k can come in and do the things they did to you,” he added. “Hold your head up, Jussie. I’m with you, I’ll be there in a minute. It’s just another f—in’ day in America.”
Serayah McNeila (who plays singer Tiana Brown onEmpire) also addressed the incident on social media.
“Your light will continue to shine bright, which is the part these disgusting people fail to realize,” the actress, 23, captioned a photo of herself and Smollett on Instagram. “I hope you make a speedy recovery and continue to educate, motivate, and inspire millions. Love you big bro.”
Other stars like John Legend, Viola Davis, Zendaya and Shonda Rhimes have also shown their support.
Empire.FOX/Getty
20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment released a statement on Tuesday: “We are deeply saddened and outraged to learn that a member of ourEmpirefamily, Jussie Smollett, was viciously attacked last night. We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. The entire studio, network and production stands united in the face or any despicable act of violence and hatred — and especially against one of our own.”
Smollett first spoke publicly about being gay onTheEllen DeGeneresShowin 2015, though he said he never considered himself to be in the closet.
“There’s never been a closet that I’ve been in,” he said, adding that deciding not to talk about his personal life was not an attempt to “hide or deny who God made me. There is, without a doubt, no closet that I’ve ever been in,” he reiterated, “and I just wanted to make that clear.”
In a statement about the attack toThe Hollywood Reporter, GLAAD said it reached out to Fox and Smollett’s team to offer assistance.
source: people.com
