After Drake’s father, Dennis Graham, offered his support to “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who has come under fire after being accused of staging his own hate crime, Queen Latifah has shared a similar sentiment.
During a new interview with Yahoo News host Zainab Salbi during an episode of the show “Through Her Eyes,” the veteran entertainer vocalized how she is standing by Smollett until she sees some proof to corroborate the allegation he orchestrated his own attack at the top of this year.
The actor, who has been charged with filing a false police report, initially made national headlines after news broke he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in Chicago, where he and the cast of “Empire” were wrapping production.
“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 began. “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.”
Latifah, who previously made a cameo on “Empire” in a crossover episode with her Fox show “STAR,” continued that she doesn’t “even know what to make of it.”
She did, however, express how she’s hoping for the best. “All I know is that I hope everything works out in the end and everybody basically comes out unscathed,” she concluded.
Smollett was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report last month in a development that shocked countless across the nation. If found guilty of the Class 4 felony, the actor could be facing up to three years in prison.
As previously reported, Smollett is due back in court on March 14 and has continually maintained that he did not set up the attack.
Take a look at Queen Latifah commenting on the situation in the clip below.