https://finance.yahoo.com/news/empire-star-jussie-smollett-attacked-rope-put-around-neck-suspected-hate-crime-175325540.html

Chicago P.D. is investigating a brutal attack on Empire star Jussie Smollett. The 36-year-old actor and singer was jumped by two white men late Monday. It is being treated as a possible hate crime.

“Overnight, the Chicago Police Department received a report of a possible racially-charged assault and battery involving a cast member of the television show Empire,” police confirmed to Yahoo. “Given the severity of the allegations, we are taking this investigation very seriously and treating it as a possible hate crime. Detectives are currently working to gather video, identify potential witnesses and establish an investigative timeline. The victim is fully cooperating with investigators and we ask anyone with information about this incident to contact Area Central Detectives at 312-747-8382.”

If anyone has information and wishes to report it anonymously, they can do so here.

TMZ has disturbing details of the altercation. After arriving home in Chicago from New York, Smollett was hungry and went to a Subway around 2 A.M. As he was leaving, one of the men purportedly yelled, “Aren’t you that f***ot Empire n***er?”

The two white men were apparently wearing ski masks and attacked Smollett, who tried to fight back. They put a rope around his neck, poured bleach on him and as they left allegedly yelled, “This is MAGA country.” The Fox star was treated for a fractured rib at Northwestern Memorial and discharged Tuesday.

Chicago P.D. confirms to Yahoo the two unknown offenders approached Smollett “and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him. The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim.”

Police also confirm one of the offenders wrapped a rope around Smollett’s neck. The actor is now in “good condition.” Yahoo has not independently confirmed whether the MAGA quote was yelled.

It appears the attack might have been premeditated. According to photos obtained by the blog ThatGrapeJuice.Net, Smollett received a threatening note eight days ago. It was addressed to Fox Studios in Chicago with cut out letters spelling, “You will die black f**.”

Yahoo reached out to a representative for Smollett but did not immediately receive a response.

On Empire, the actor plays Jamal Lyon, the son of Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) who is gay. In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres in 2015, Smollett said that while he identifies as being gay, he prefers to keep his personal life private.

“It was really important to me to make sure that it got across that there is no closet,” Smollett explained. “But I have a home and that is my responsibility to protect that home.”

He continued, “So that’s why I choose not to talk about my personal life. But there is without a doubt, no closet that I’ve ever been in, and I just wanted to make that clear. But it was most important for me to make that clear to you on your show at this time in the world. And that’s where I’m at.”

Well-wishes are pouring in for the beloved entertainer. GLAAD reached out to both Fox and Smollett’s team offering support.

Andy Cohen called the attack “vile.”