Jussie Smollett Returns to the Stage in L.A.: ‘I Couldn’t Let Those Motherf-ckers Win’

Five days after the attack against him and one day after the actor-singer first broke his silence and spoke out about the vicious attack against him, a Jussie Smollett performance took place at Los Angeles concert venue The Troubadour. The show, which took place Saturday, Feb. 2, had been booked in advance.

“I’m not fully healed yet but I’m going to and … I’m going to stand strong with y’all,” the Empire star told the crowd, a couple times holding back tears. “I had to be here tonight, y’all. I couldn’t let those motherfuckers win,” referring to the two men he has said attacked him on Jan. 29 outside his Chicago apartment.

According to Smollett’s statement and a Chicago Police Department report, two men wearing ski masks approached him, placed a noose around his neck and doused him in a chemical substance. His attackers allegedly yelled, “This is MAGA country.”

At the Jussie Smollett performance, in between songs, he told the crowd there had been things set about him that were not true. He then pulled out a written list of four points he wanted to clear up.

“There’s just a couple of points I wanted to make really quick,” he said. “Four points. … I was bruised, but my ribs were not cracked. They were not broken. I went to the doctor immediately. … I was not hospitalized. Both my doctors in L.A. and Chicago cleared me to perform. They said to take care, obviously. And, above all, I fought the fuck back.”

Watch video of part of the L.A. Jussie Smollett performance here:

In his statement released the day before the L.A. performance, Smollett said, “My body is strong but my soul is stronger. … The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words. … I still believe justice will be served.”

What do you think of his words during Saturday’s Jussie Smollett performance?

Featured image by Scott Dudelson / Getty Images