Jussie Smollett's 'Empire' co-star Terrence Howard says hate-crime hoax could have gotten 'very scary,' 'ugly'

“Empire” actor Terrence Howard broke his silence on the verdict in his co-star Jussie Smollett’s high-profile case in Chicago.

On Sunday evening, the Academy Award-nominated actor spoke about the verdict involving Smollett during an appearance on Mark Vargas’ "Mark My Words" radio show, where he noted that he looked at the entire trial in a different light given that he felt a paternal relationship with Smollett given the fact he played his son on "Empire."

"It’s interesting, it’s an uncomfortable question because anyone that’s aware of the show or my relationship with Jussie would know that Jussie is, for six years, he was my son," Howard explained. "He was my son that I had the most difficulty with on that show as far as the character world goes. So you end up getting very close to individuals that you have the most struggle with. Whose characters you have the most struggle with."