Terrence Howard addressed Jussie Smollett's recent hospitalization during an interview with Good Morning America. The actor recalled how the Empire cast member reacted to the news as they were working on the set. "Jaws dropped to the ground," he said. "And then when we learned that there had been letters that had been sent to Fox as threats about the potential of something like this, then we became much more frightened."
Howard revealed that he heard Smollett was "getting better" and keeping a positive attitude despite the upsetting situation. "He’s angry, but I know Jussie. Jussie's anger will dissipate, and he will forgive these people for what they did," Howard said. "But he won't, and we cannot forget their actions. They have to be forgiven because it was done out of ignorance."
He also shared some words of admiration for his co-star's contribution to their team's morale. "Jussie's the one that starts singing when everybody's in a bad mood," he added. "He's the one that cheers everybody up. He's the one that does all the Instagrams if he catches you sleeping...Today, no one was caught sleeping. No one even took time to close their eyes and nap. They were all in shock that our family—you know, the Fox family, the Empire family, the Lyon family—you know, were attacked by a bunch of hyenas today."