Jussie Smollet talked for the first time about the incident of last Monday night, where he was beaten up on the streets in Chicago. The perpetrators would have made racist and homophobic statements.
“Let me be the first to say that I am okay”, Smollet begins his statement on the website of the magazine Essence .
“My body is strong, but my soul is stronger, I want to thank everyone first, the enormous amount of love and support that I have received means more to me than I can ever grasp in words,” said the Empire actor.
According to the Chicago police, Smollet was beaten in the face during the attack and “an unknown chemical substance” was poured over him. One of the perpetrators also tied a rope around his neck.
The actor broke a rib at the hands of the men and had to be treated in the hospital. He was allowed back home on Tuesday morning.
In his statement, Smollet says that his attack is not an isolated thing. “These kind of cowardly attacks are a daily recurring problem for my brothers and sisters, and I will soon give more details about this terrible incident, but for now I need some time for myself to process this.”
In a statement released Thursday, Smollett’s family echoed much of his statement, saying they are standing by their “beloved son and brother.”