Queen Latifah says she won’t stop believing “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett’s disputed claim that he was attacked as part of a hate crime until she sees proof to the contrary.
“Until somebody can show me some proof otherwise, I’m going with him,” Queen Latifah told Yahoo News on the show “Through Her Eyes.” “Because the guy I’ve seen has always been someone who cares about people, who cares about others, whose very kind and whose always cool and sweet, that’s the guy I know. So until I can see some definitive proof, which I haven’t seen yet, then, you know, I gotta go with him.”
Smollett alleged he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who yelled racist and homophobic comments at him, tied a rope around his neck, and poured bleach on him. He also said they yelled, “This is MAGA country,” referring to Trump’s 2016 campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”
After a weeks-long investigation however, the Chicago Police Department announced it had substantial evidence showing Smollett staged the attack and paid two brothers, one who he worked with on the show “Empire,” to carry out a staged attack. Police said there was a check made out from Smollett to the brothers for $3,600.
Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, which could land him in jail for up to three years.
A number of prominent people in the media, Hollywood, and politics, including some Democrats running for president in 2020, jumped on Smollett’s claim early on, saying the alleged attack was the equivalent of a “modern-day lynching.” As more details about the police investigation and media reports came out about a possible hoax, several people began walking back their prior comments and suggesting that all the evidence come out before making any conclusions.
