Page 32 - Florida Sentinel 2-1-19

Entertainment
Michael Jackson's Family Slams ‘Leaving Neverland’ Documentary, Calls It 'Lies'
'Empire' Actor Jussie Smollett Hospitalized After Being Jumped By MAGA Racists
Chicago police are investi- gating a possible hate crime involving Empire actor Jussie Smollett. According to CNN, Smollett was jumped in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (January 29) by two assailants “yelling out racial and homophobic slurs.”
TMZ reports the two masked men screamed, “This is MAGA country” during the incident and asked, “Aren’t you that faggot off Empire?”
Smollett was physically attacked and the alleged at- tackers “poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim” and also put a rope around his neck. Both quickly fled the scene.
In the 911 call obtained by The Blast, a friend told the dispatcher Smollett “was assaulted when he walked out of his apartment.” The of- ficial noted the victim is “sup- posed to be well known” and that a “noose” was placed over his neck.
As a result, Smollett was taken to Northwestern Hos- pital where he was reportedly in “good condition.” He was released several hours later.
“Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime,” a police state- ment said.
Although the event ap- peared random, it’s possible it was premeditated. Approx- imately eight days ago, a let- ter targeting Smollett was sent to FOX Studios.
“You will die black fag,” it said. In the top left corner of the envelope, it appears to read, “MAGA.”
Smollett has been on the popular FOX show since 2015. He plays gay singer Jamal and is part of the Lyons family. Like his char- acter, Smollett also identi- fies as gay.
FBI Reportedly Joins Investigation Into Jussie Smollett Assault
The FBI has joined the in- vestigation into the brutal at- tack on Empire star Jussie Smollett. According to ABC News, federal authorities will assist the Chicago Police De- partment into the case, which is currently being investi- gated as a “possible” hate crime.
The 35-year-old actor transported himself to North-
JUSSIE SMOLLET
western Memorial Hospital Tuesday (Jan. 29) morning, after being beaten by two white men in ski-masks who hurled racist and homopho- bic slurs at him.
Empire Co-Creator Lee Daniels, Fox Respond To Jussie Smollett Racist Attack
LEE DANIELS
Empire co-creator Lee Daniels condemned the racist attack against series star Jussie Smollett in an emotional social media video posted Tuesday.
"It's taken me a minute to come to social media about this because Jussie, you are my son," Daniels said in the video, before addressing spe- cific details of the attack on Smollett, which occurred Tuesday morning and left the Empire actor, who is gay, hospitalized. "You didn't de- serve, nor anybody deserves, to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called, 'die f-----, n-----, ' or whatever they said to you. You are bet- ter than that. We are better than that. America is better than that. It starts at home. It starts at home, yo. We have to love each other, regardless of what sexual orientation we are. Because it shows we are a united front. And no racist f--k can come in and do the things they did to you. Hold your head up, Jussie. I'm with you, I'll be there in a minute. It's just another f-- king day in America."
Wade Robson and James Safechuck — two of Michael Jackson’s accus- ers — are the stars of the up- coming incendiary HBO documentary, Leaving Nev- erland, which made count- less headlines when it debuted at Sundance.
Robson, now 36, and Safechuck, now 40, have both accused Michael Jack- son of sexual abuse on two separate occasions. Prior to their claims, both men de- fended Jackson against other sexual abuse claims. However, in 2013, Robson filed a civil suit against the singer’s estate; a year later, Safechuck did the same thing. While Jackson’s es- tate denied the accusations and the suits were eventually dismissed, the cases remain under appeal as of this writ-
MICHAEL JACKSON
ing.
Today, however, the sur-
viving members of the Jack- son family have released an equally incendiary statement condemning the film, and its stars.
“The creators of this film were not interested in the
truth. They never interviewed a single solitary soul who knew Michael except for the two perjurers and their fami- lies. That is not journalism, and it’s not fair, yet the media are perpetuating these sto- ries,” the family said in an of- ficial statement received by HipHopDX.com from their official press agent. “But the truth is on our side. Go do your research about these op- portunists. The facts don’t lie, people do. Michael Jack- son was and always will be 100% innocent of these false allegations.”
The Jackson family went on to say that Jackson has been the subject of “vulture tweeters” who have never met the legendary singer, but “go after him” based on the allegations propagated in Leaving Neverland.
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