Chicago Police, after having arrested Jussie Smollett, stated that he had falsely claimed he was attacked and beaten by two masked men shouting racist and homophobic slurs because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on the TV show Empire.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said Smollett orchestrated a « phony attack » in order to take « advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career. »
Johnson during a news conference said that Smollett also sent a threatening racist and homophobic letter to himself at the Fox studio lot where Empire is filmed before the attack.
« I’m left hanging my head and asking why? Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol…how can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city by making this false claim?” Johnson told reporters, adding that “bogus police reports cause real harm.
