I’m Lost for Words,' Tyler Perry Speaks out on Jussie Smollett after His Arrest

Tyler Perry reveals that he is "lost for words" after finding out about Jussie Smollett allegedly staging his own attack, and hopes for people to put just as much importance to other racially-motivated crimes, such as the disappearance of two men named Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Tyler Perry expressed his disappointment over the lack of media coverage for the disappearance of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos and compared it to the way the Jussie Smollett issue is being highlighted by the media.

According to Perry, he personally spoke to the "Empire" star, who remains sure of his story, and insists that he is telling the truth. He says that everyone else that he knows who are close to Smollett claim that he is not the type of person to make up such a horrible and gruesome story.

"I have personally spoken to Jussie, and he is adamant that he’s telling the truth. Also, everyone that I know who knows him says that he is not the kind of person who would make up such a horrible and awful thing."

However, the director also explained that he doesn't deny the evidence that seems to be pointing towards the direction of Smollett staging his own attack, and because of that, he is lost for words.

"To stoke fears and raise racial tensions is wrong in every situation on ALL SIDES! Yet my prayers are still with him and his family and our Nation. CAN WE PLEASE STOP THE HATE!"

JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S ARREST

Earlier this week, Chicago Police Chief Communications Officer Anthony Guglielmi confirmed that the "Empire" star was arrested over felony criminal charges for "disorderly conduct and filing a false police report." The actor's defense team swiftly responded to the arrest by releasing a statement, saying that they will be launching an "aggressive defense" to counter the claims.

“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”

THE ATTACK AND PERSONS OF INTEREST

Last month Jussie was allegedly attacked by two men who beat him up and hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him while he was on the way to grab a late night bite at a Subway restaurant. He allegedly ended up running home with a rope around his neck and an unknown substance poured at him, which made him quickly call the police to file a report.

However, after the persons of interest for the said attack were interviewed, they revealed that the actor actually paid them $3500 to plan out the attack, which they claimed to have even practiced. These two men were identified as Nigerian brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, who are believed to be the two men seen in the footage.

The brothers reportedly met Smollett while the two worked as extras on the show "Empire," which the Osundairo camp's lawyer confirmed.

If proven guilty for falsifying court reports, Smollett could get up to three years in prison and lose his role on Empire for good.