Queen Latifah Is Standing By Jussie Smollett Until She “Can See Some Definitive Proof” That He Staged His Own Hate Crime

Despite the speculation surrounding Jussie Smollett’s alleged hate crime in Chicago, legendary emcee/actor and all-around entertainer, Queen Latifah, is standing with Smollett until further notice. 

Last month, Smollett was arrested for filing a false report for a hate crime he allegedly staged against himself in January. After a longstanding investigation helped identify the Nigerian brothers who carried out the attack, officials directed their attention to Smollett as a suspect, accusing him of allegedly orchestrating the attack. 

Although Smollett has maintained his innocence, many have withdrawn their support of the “Empire” actor. But, others like, Queen Latifah, are sticking with the actor until he’s proven guilty in a court of law. 

“The guy I’ve seen has always been someone who cares about people, who cares about others, and who’s very kind and who’s always been cool and sweet,” Latifah said on Yahoo’s “Through Her Eyes.” “And that’s just the guy I know. So until I can see some definitive proof- which I haven’t seen yet – then, you know, I gotta go with him until I see otherwise.” 

For now, Latifah says she just hopes “everything works out in the end and everybody basically comes out unscathed.” In the meantime, the Chicago Police is maintaining that it has evidence to prove Smollett staged his attack, all while Smollett maintains his innocence.