Police have pushed back on reports that actor Jussie Smollett staged an attack against himself last month in Chicago.
ABC7 Eyewitness News reported Thursday that police were investigating whether Smollett, who is black and gay, had fabricated allegations that two white men attacked him, poured bleach on him, and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. One of the suspects also tied a rope around his neck, Smollett said. CBS Chicago also reported, citing anonymous sources, that the attack, which drew nationwide condemnation, may have been staged by Smollett.
A spokesman for the Chicago Police Department said law enforcement has “no evidence” to support the ABC7 report and called the news outlet’s anonymous police sources “uninformed and inaccurate.”
Media reports anout the Empire incident being a hoax are unconfirmed by case detectives. Supt Eddie Johnson has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate. pic.twitter.com/iSO5YFv452
— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) February 15, 2019
The ABC7 report also suggested the “Empire” actor may have staged the attack because he was allegedly being written off the series.
Fox, which owns the series, denied that allegation.
“The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him,” the company said in a statement.
Following the alleged incident, Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., blamed President Trump, accusing him of stocking racial tensions.
Trump, too, weighed in on it at the time. “That, I can tell you, is horrible. I’ve seen it, last night. I think that’s horrible,” the president said last month. “It doesn’t get worse, as far as I’m concerned.”
The reports Thursday night that the attack was staged drew widespread comment on social media.
First it was Buzzfeed, then it was Covington and now apparently Jussie Smollett. The media will run with ANYTHING, regardless of how obviously false, if it makes @realDonaldTrump and his supporters look bad. ANYTHING!!!
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) February 15, 2019
“The media will run with ANYTHING, regardless of how obviously false, if it makes @realDonaldTrump and his supporters look bad,” Donald Trump, Jr., tweeted. “ANYTHING!!!”
Smollett had said that he’d heard the assailants say “MAGA country,” a reference to Trump’s campaign slogan.
