Jussie Smollett LA Performance After Attack February 2019
Jussie Smollett Addresses His Attack During a Performance: "I Will Always Stand For Love"
Jussie Smollett isn't letting hate win. Days after he was the target of a racist and homophobic attack in Chicago, the 35-year-old Empire actor and R&B singer took the stage in Los Angeles to perform on Saturday night. Before singing, Smollett addressed the attack, calling out some of the details of the assault he says were incorrectly reported.
"There's a lot of stuff that's been said about me that is absolutely not true," he said. "I was bruised but my ribs were not cracked. They were not broken. I went to the doctor immediately. Frank Gatson drove me, I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in LA and Chicago cleared me to perform, but said to take care, obviously." But there was one last point Smollett wanted to drive home. "And above all I fought the f*ck back," he said, before adding, "I'm the gay Tupac."
Jussie Smollett speaks out on inaccuracies surrounding his attack. pic.twitter.com/xHYW8Q5bBy
— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) February 3, 2019
He also took time to thank the crowd for their support and give a status report on his recovery process. "Thank you so much, and I'm glad you came," he said. "I'm not fully healed yet, but I'm going to. And I'm gonna stand strong with y'all, and I had to be here tonight. It sounds powerful, but I couldn't let those mother f*ckers win." Smollett then emphasized a message of positivity, adding, "I will always stand for love. I will never stand for anything other than love. Regardless of what anyone says, I will only stand for love. And I hope that you will all stand with me."
His performance comes a day after he released an official statement about the Jan. 29 attack in which two assailants yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him, punched him, and poured an unknown chemical substance on him before wrapping a rope around his neck. In his statement, Smollett assured fans that he's "OK," saying "My body is strong but my soul is stronger." Many celebrities also showed an outpouring of support and well wishes for the actor.
Ahead, see photos from Smollett's emotional performance on Saturday night.
