20th Century Fox Television is evaluating its options after “Empire” star Jussie Smollett was charged Thursday on the suspicion of filing a false police report claiming to have been the victim of a hate crime.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said the “Empire” actor “took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.”
“To stage a hate crime of that nature, when he knew as a celebrity it would get a lot of attention … is just despicable,” Johnson said at a news conference.
“We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process,” Fox said in a statement. “We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”
Johnson said Smollett sent a threatening racist and homophobic letter to himself at the Fox studio lot before the purported attack, noting that the actor had been dissatisfied with his salary.
According to HuffPost, Smollett was paid $65,000 per episode for co-starring in the series.
On Tuesday, it was reported that Smollett’s scenes in episodes of “Empire” had been rewritten and reduced, but Fox denied that he was being written out of the show.
Smollett was charged Wednesday with felony disorderly conduct. He surrendered Thursday morning and could face one to three years in prison if convicted of the felony charge.
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked,” Smollet’s attorneys said in a statement.
Smollett told police in January that he was attacked by two masked men as he was walking home around 2 a.m. The actor, who is black and gay, said he was beaten, had racist and homophobic comments shouted at him, had a chemical substance poured on him and a rope was looped around his neck before the attackers fled.
Ola and Abel Osundairo were arrested last week for allegedly being connected to the attack. They were later released without charges. Ola Osundairo appeared in season two of “Empire.” The Osundairo brothers told police that they were paid $3,500 to carry out the attack.
The police superintendent told reporters the brothers wore gloves during the incident and “punched him a little bit.” He said he believes the scratches and bruises on Smollett’s face were “most likely self-inflicted.”
Source:CNBC
