Terrence Howard has expressed support
for fellow Empire cast member Jussie Smollett.
Howard plays the father of Smollett's
openly gay character on the Fox drama.
Howard on Saturday posted a video on
Instagram of Smollett holding and tickling a baby. “All your lil
homies got you,” he captioned the video. “We love the hell outta
you.”
On Thursday, Smollett, who is black and
gay, was arrested in connection with filing a false police report
claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack that
allegedly took place last month in Chicago. Police believe Smollett
orchestrated his own attack because he was “dissatisfied with his
salary” on Empire. Smollett has denied the allegations.
The following day, producers announced
that they have cut Smollett from the final two episodes of the show's
fifth season.
Smollett, who is out on $100,000 bail,
reportedly visited the set of Empire on Thursday.
Howard responded to a user who
criticized his Instagram post.
“Sorry you feel that way,” Howard
wrote, “but that’s the only Jussie that I know. The Jussie that I
know could never even conceive of something so unconscious and ugly.
His innocence or judgment is not for any of us to decide. Stay in
your lane and my lane is empathy and love and compassion for someone
that I’ve called my son for 5 years. It’s God’s job to judge
and it is ours to love and hope, especially for those that we claim
to have loved. There’s nothing more harmful than a fake friend!
Real talk.”