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Jussie Smollett to Keep Concert Date Days After Attack

The show must go on.

Days after surviving of a brutal hate crime, Jussie Smollett still plans to keep his scheduled performance at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Smollett's reps confirmed his performance to Page Six.

Smollett was attacked in Chicago on Tuesday when two assailants approached him yelling racist and homophobic slurs. They tied a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him in what Senators Kamala Harris and Cory Booker called "an attempted modern-day lynching," with the latter calling for Congress to support a bill designating lynching as a federal hate crime.

Though Smollett had reportedly turned down extra security prior to the attack, going forward he and the rest of the Empire cast will be provided with armed security for the duration of their shoot in Chicago.

On Wednesday, the Chicago Police Department released a screenshot from a surveillance video of two persons of interest in connection with the attack on Smollett, which they are treating as a potential hate crime.

Taraji P. Henson took to Instagram to voice her love and support for her Empire son, echoing what many have said about the 36-year-old singer and actor, that he "is pure love to the bone."

While many celebrities have stepped up in support of Smollett, some have proven more controversial than others. Kevin Hart faced a public dragging with his well-wishes after some old homophobic jokes he made in the past resurfaced during his brief tenure as prospective Oscar host. Hart, before saying he didn't want to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, went on Ellen, where host Ellen DeGeneres defended him.

Now, DeGeneres has tweeted her support of Smollett, who came out on her show four years ago, but the internet is feeling some type of way about it.

The blowback to Hart and DeGeneres is understandable and merited, but more important is to acknowledge Smollett's resilience, no doubt buoyed by the outpouring of affection he's received in the past few days. If you'd like to attend the show on Saturday, good luck—it's sold out. May the show go on.

If you’re experiencing anti-LGBTQ hate violence in the Chicago area, reach out to local NCAVP partner Center on Halsted Anti-Violence Project at (773) 472-6469, Ext. 474. For incidents across the nation, find your local NCAVP partner at avp.org/ncavp.

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