#Roommates, if you remember, #Empire creator #LeeDaniels was one of the first people to speak out publicly in support of #JussieSmollett after he claimed he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago this past January.
Lee took to #Instagram with a passionate message when he first learned of the incident. He has described his relationship with Jussie as a father-son type and stood by Jussie after #Chicago police accused him of staging the attack in order to get paid more money on “Empire.”
Well, Lee recently opened up about the scandal in an interview with @Vulture, claiming he was “beyond embarrassed” about the situation.
“I think that when it happened, I had a flash of me running from bullies. I had a flash of my whole life, of my childhood, my youth, getting beaten,” Lee said.
He added that this wasn’t something he’d expect from Jussie and that his behavior came out of the blue.
But Lee isn’t outright disowning Jussie over the situation and said it would only feel like a betrayal if it turns out that he’s guilty and all of the accusations against him are accurate.
When asked if there was any doubt in his mind that Jussie didn’t make the whole thing up, Lee responded:
“Of course, there’s some doubt. I’m telling you that because I love him so much. That’s the torture that I’m in right now, because it’s literally if it were to happen to your son and your child, how would you feel? You would feel, ‘Please, God, please let there be that glimmer of hope that there is some truth in this story.’ That’s why it’s been so painful. It was a flood of pain.”
Lee went on to say, “We weren’t there. I can’t judge him. That’s only for the f*****g lady or man with that black robe and God. I had to detach myself and stop calling him, because it was taking away the time I have for my kids, the time I have for my partner. It was affecting my spirit and other shows, everything.”
Jussie had 16 criminal charges brought against him by the state attorney for allegedly lying to police about a hate crime. All the charges were dropped but Jussie was still let go from “Empire.”
What are your thoughts on this one, Roommates? Let us know!
Lee Daniels Admits To Being Embarrassed For Rushing To Jussie Smollett’s Defense
