Chicago Police Department(LOS ANGELES) — Celebrities are reacting to the arrest of Jussie Smollett, who’s been charged by Chicago PD with filing a false police report. The Empire star falsely claimed he was attacked on January 29 by two men shouting racist and homophobic epithets.
Tyler Perry took to Instagram, writing, “I have personally spoken to Jussie, and he is adamant that he’s telling the truth. Also, everyone that I know who knows him says that he is not the kind of person who would make up such a horrible and awful thing. Yet the evidence seems to state otherwise.
He added, “I’m lost for words. To stoke fears and raise racial tensions is wrong in every situation on ALL SIDES! Yet my prayers are still with him and his family and our Nation. CAN WE PLEASE STOP THE HATE!”
Octavia Spencer reposted Perry’s words, and added some of her own.
“I’ve been trying to find the words and @tylerperry is elegant with his thoughts on this,” she wrote. “I’m seriously at a loss for words.”
Yvette Nicole Brown insisted her support for Jussie remains unchanged.
“I’ve been vocal about this situation & my love for Jussie & his entire family,” she tweeted. “I will continue to hope for the best for everyone involved as things continue to unfold. And I, like all of you, will watch them unfold. But believing victims is always the right choice.”
However, Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., voiced his frustration with Smollett, saying his claims could have led to actual violence.
“What upsets me about this Jussie situation is that people were genuinely worried about you man,” he tweeted. “And the things that you said happened could have led to some serious outcomes. People were prepared to fight for you bruh. Things coulda got ugly…… and you made it up.”
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