Empire's Terrence Howard may have given his
co-star Jussie Smollett a talking to, following
Smollett's alleged hate crime and subsequent
scandal.
After Smollett surrendered to the Chicago
police once being charged with felony disorderly
conduct for filing a false police report,
Howard reportedly had a, quote, "complete
meltdown," according to TMZ.
The celebrity gossip publication noted that
Howard would not come out of his trailer on
the Empire set.
Apparently, Howard never fully believed Smollett's
story that two men jumped him in Chicago after
calling him racist and homophobic slurs, as
a source told TMZ.
Howard is said to have even questioned Smollett
over his account of his alleged attack in
late January 2019, and urged him to "come
clean" after brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo
were detained in connection with the Smollett's
alleged beating.
When Smollett, who plays the son of Howard's
character on Empire, apologized to the show's
cast and crew upon his release from police
custody on $100,000 bond, Howard was reportedly
not around to hear it.
According to TMZ, Howard wasn't the only member
of the Empire family to think Smollett may
have been lying about his alleged attack.
And that may just be one reason why show producers
decided to remove Smollett's character from
the final episodes of the series' fifth season.
However, just because Howard may not have
totally believed his claims, the actor appears
to still have his co-star's back.
On Saturday, February 23rd, 2019, Howard posted
a video of Smollett on his Instagram page,
showing the actor holding and playing with
a baby while on a flight.
In the caption, Howard wrote,
"All your lil homies got you…
We love the hell outta you."
Howard also defended Smollett against hateful
commenters, as reported by CNN.
After one person left a comment criticizing
Smollett, Howard responded, writing in part,
"Sorry you feel that way but that's the only
Jussie I know.
The Jussie I know could never even conceive
of something so unconscious and ugly.
His innocence or judgment is not for any of
us to decide."
Howard may have needed convincing from Smollett
about his alleged attack, but, clearly, Howard
is fully on his TV son's side.
Despite the Chicago Police Department reportedly
believing that Smollett lied about the alleged
hate crime he faced in an effort to somehow
further his acting career, Smollett has maintained
his innocence.
According to CNN, his attorneys said in a
statement,
"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.
Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct
a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive
defense."
According to TMZ sources, Empire executives
don't buy that Smollett planned an attack
because he wasn't satisfied with his current
pay on the show, as the Chicago PD has claimed.
The gossip rag noted that neither Smollett
nor his representatives ever expressed that
he was unhappy with his per-episode salary.
He reportedly makes $125,000 for each episode
of Empire, not including what he earns for
his contributions to the show's music.
Smollett also has co-star Taraji P. Henson
in his corner.
Henson, who plays the mother of Smollett's
character on Empire, opened up about the alleged
hate crime against Smollett during an appearance
on The Dr. Oz Show.
"At his very core, he is love.
That's just who he is.
And love is always gonna win."
However, Henson said all that before it was
reported that Smollett may have faked his
attack..
According to Page Six, Smollett's next court
date is scheduled for March 14th, 2019.
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