“Empire” star Jussie Smollett says he's "OK" and "working with authorities" after being beaten in Chicago.
“Empire” star Jussie Smollett is breaking his silence following his attack earlier this week.
"I’m OK. My body is strong but my soul is stronger," he said in a statement Friday. “I am working with authorities and have been 100 percent factual and consistent on every level. Despite my frustrations and deep concern I still believe that justice will be served.”
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson is also addressing some of the skepticism about Smollett's account of the attack that's lighting up social media.
Johnson was asked by reporters, “based on the information that detectives have, can you confirm that an attack happened?”
“We don’t have anything that we have been able to view but I will say this, he's a victim right now. And we'll treat him like a victim. He's been very co-operative and we have no reason to think that he is not being genuine with us,” Johnson said.
He said he's hopeful that shadowy images of two men in the area where Smollett was beaten will lead to arrests.
“The crime that he reported is horrendous. It is horrible it was cowardly. We will do everything we can,” Johnson said. “We have identified two potential persons of interest that we would like to talk to so hopefully we will bring this to a resolution soon.”
The cast returned to work Friday after production was suspended due to the bitter Chicago cold. There was a heavy police presence as they shot scenes in Northwest Chicago.
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