Arts & Entertainment
Jussie Smollett details reported attack that left him ‘forever changed’
The ‘Empire’ star says he’s ‘pissed off’ at incident
Jussie Smollett publicly detailed his alleged homophobic and racist attack for the first time in an interview with “Good Morning America” on Thursday.
The “Empire” star recalled the incident, which occurred on Jan. 29 in Chicago, to Robin Roberts
Smollett says he was picked up from the airport by his creative director Frank Gatson. After arriving at Smollett’s apartment, Smollett wanted to get food. Smollett went to a local Walgreens but the location was closed. He decided to go to a Subway across the street. As Smollett was leaving Subway, he was on the phone with his manager, who was in Australia. He says that is when he heard someone
“And, I don’t answer to Empire, my name ain’t Empire,” Smollett told Roberts. He claims that he was then called “F**got, Empire, n***r!” Smollett recalled that the attackers also yelled “MAGA country.”
“So I turned around and said ‘What the f*c*did you just say to me’ and I see the attacker masked,” Smollett said. “He said ‘This MAGA country nr’ and he punched me in the face so I punched his a** back.”
Smollett says the fight ended up near some stairs and a second person kicked him in the back. The suspects ran away and Smollett picked up his phone which had fallen. Smollett says his manager was still on the line and he told him he had been attacked.
“It felt like minutes but it probably was like 30 seconds,” Smollett continued. “I can’t tell you honestly. I noticed the rope around my neck and I started screaming.”
Chicago Police released an image from surveillance camera footage of the area which shows “potential persons of interest.”
Chicago police release surveillance images of “potential persons of interest wanted for questioning in reference to the assault & battery” of “Empire” star Jussie Smollett. https://t.co/eIoTNF3CFi pic.twitter.com/jjwGYxRKOe
— ABC News (@ABC) January 31, 2019
Smollett told Roberts he believes those are the suspects who attacked him.
“Because I was there,” Smollett says. “For me, when that was released, I was like, ‘O.K., we’re getting somewhere.’ I don’t have any doubt in my mind that that’s them. Never did.”
As for the skeptics who aren’t convinced of Smollett’s story, the actor says people have an issue with his description of the suspects.
“It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me much more,” Smollett says
Smollett, who grew emotional at various parts of the interview, says he is “forever changed” by the incident.
“I will never be the man that this did not happen to,” Smollett says. “I am forever changed. I don’t subscribe to the idea everything happens for a reason, but I do subscribe to the idea that we have the right and the responsibility to make something meaningful out of the things that happen to us, good and bad.”
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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