Jussie Smollettis giving his first in-depth, television interview since he was involved in anapparent hate crime attacklast month.
TheEmpireactor is set to appear onGood Morning AmericaThursday, where he will address the attack in a candid interview with Robin Roberts.
In a teaser clip from the interview, the actor becomes emotional when Roberts asks, “At any point during the attack, did you fear for your life?”
Smollett previously opened up about the attack during his first public appearance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Feb. 2.
“There are so many words on my heart that I want to say,” he said. “The most important thing that I can say, to keep it simple, thank you so much. I’m okay … I’m not fully healed yet, but I’m going to. I’m going to stand strong with y’all.”
“I had to be here tonight,” he added. “I couldn’t let those motherf—ers win. So I will always stand for love, I will never stand for anything other than that. Regardless of what anyone else says, I will only stand for love. I hope that you all stand with me.”
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He also clarified reports about the apparent hate crime.
“Just because there has been a lot of stuff that has been said about me that is absolutely not true, there are just a couple of points that I wanted to make really quick,” he said. “I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked. I went to the doctor immediately — I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in L.A. and Chicago cleared me to perform but said to take it easy, obviously. And, above all, I fought the f— back.”
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At around 2 a.m. in Chicago on Jan. 29, Smollett transported himself to a doctor after he was the victim of an apparent hate crime.
The Chicago Police Department previously confirmed in a statement that a member of the hit Fox show was involved in a “racially-charged assault and battery.”
RELATED VIDEO: Police Release Photos of Persons of Interest in Alleged Assault of Empire Actor Jussie Smollett
Smollett’s family also released astatement about the attack.
“We want to be clear, this was a racial and homophobic hate crime. Jussie has told the police everything from the very beginning. His story has never changed, and we are hopeful they will find these men and bring them to justice,” they said. “Our family thanks everyone for their prayers and the huge amount of love he has received. We are thankful to our village for your immense support during this trying time. We are so grateful that God saw him through this cowardly attack alive. Jussie is a warrior whose light cannot be dimmed.”
source: people.com
