Breaking: Reports say Jussie Smollett staged attack
EEW Magazine News
According to local media reports, Chicago police say the alleged attack on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett was staged.
Police interviewed two persons of interest in the case Thursday who are believed to be the same individuals captured on surveillance the night when the attack happened.
ABC 7 Chicago reporter, Rob Elgas, confirmed that “multiple sources” said Smollett, in collaboration with two men, staged the attack because his character was being written off the show.
CBS Chicago reporter, Brad Edwards, cited a source who said that investigators believe the “non-cooperating two witnesses are co-conspirators in a potentially staged attack.”
The Chicago Police Department say these reports are unconfirmed.
Fox has also released a statement saying, “The idea that Jussie Smollet has been, or would be, written off of ‘Empire’ is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”
Earlier Thursday, police said the two men— one of whom appeared as an extra on “Empire”— that were being questioned were not suspects.
When police raided the home of the two men, brothers from Nigeria, according to Charlie De Mar, a reporter at CBS Chicago, investigators found a laptop, shoes, and bleach at the home.
This story is developing.