Jussie Smollett says those doubting his alleged assault 'don't even want to see the truth'

Actor Jussie Smollett is speaking out in his first TV interview since he was the victim of an attack police have been investigating as a possible hate crime.

Smollett told Good Morning America on Thursday that he is "forever changed" after two men allegedly beat him while shouting racial and homophobic slurs. The Empire star says this occurred while he was leaving a Subway in Chicago late at night and that the attackers yelled, "This is MAGA country."

Some had called his account into question in recent weeks, seizing on certain details such as Smollett not wanting to hand over his phone to police, although he did give over redacted records, and police have said he has been cooperative and that his account is consistent and credible. Smollett told Good Morning America that he wanted to protect his privacy and the privacy of his friends and family by not giving over his phone. He also said that he was taken aback by people doubting his account of what happened.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"It's not necessarily that you don't believe that this is the truth," he said. "You don't even want to see the truth."

Smollett, who said he's "pissed off" by these people who claim he's lying, also speculated that no one would doubt his story if the men who attacked him were Muslim, Mexican, or black. This "says a lot about the place that we are in our country," he added. Watch a portion of Smollett's interview below. Brendan Morrow