Actor Jussie Smollett Image by Getty Images

Actor Jussie Smollett is in the hospital after being brutally attacked in Chicago in what police are treating as a likely hate crime. The 35-year-old star of the hit show “Empire” was reportedly approached by two people who yelled racist and homophobic slurs, then physically beat him and poured an “unknown chemical substance” onto him, according to a report by the Chicago police.

“At some point during the incident, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck,” the report continues. The attackers fled, and the “possible racially-charged assault” is under investigation by the Area Central Detectives. Smollett was able to take himself to the hospital; police report that he is in “good condition.”

The charismatic young actor and singer has been open about his gay identity and is an outspoken champion of LGBT and black rights. His father, an Ashkenazi Jew, died just before Smollett’s rise to fame.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“I don’t believe that we were created to hate,” he told Out Magazine in 2016, adding that executives behind “Empire” have asked him to cool it with public statements about violence against black Americans. “I believe that we were created only to love,” he added. “Love is the root of the happiest of times and of wars. Love, or lack of love — but love is the root of everything.”

TMZ reports that Smollett’s attackers yelled “This is MAGA country,” and called the actor “That f***ot ‘Empire’ n*****” before pouring bleach on him and putting him in the noose.

Jenny Singer is the deputy lifestyle editor for the Forward. You can reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @jeanvaljenny

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount