TV

9:45 AM PT -- Police confirm to TMZ they have video of Jussie with rope draped around his neck as he walks through the lobby of his building. That video was captured by a building surveillance camera.

A woman who lives in Jussie Smollett's apartment building told cops she saw a suspicious man -- whom she said looked like a "redneck" -- loitering just outside the entrance to the building an hour and a half before Jussie says he was attacked.

The woman -- who asked us not to use her name -- tells TMZ, she walked out of the building at 12:30 AM Tuesday to take her dogs out and saw the man near the door, pacing between the parking garage and entrance, looking agitated and smoking a cigarette. She says, "He looked out of place." He was a white man with scruff on his face wearing a blue winter beanie, a blue zip-up sweatshirt with a hood and blue jeans that were too short, exposing "thick, grey hunting socks" with camel-colored dress shoes.

She says she noticed what looked like a rope, or a clothesline, protruding from the bottom of his sweatshirt, made of white and blue material.

She says he was staring at another man about 300 feet away, who was standing near another entrance to the building.

She says she got "creeped out" by the man, and after 5 minutes she retreated back into the building.

The woman says she went to sleep and woke up at 4 AM to go to the gym, and noticed a lot of security. She says the concierge told her Jussie was attacked, and when she told him what she saw, the concierge implored her to call a detective and gave her two phone numbers. She made contact that afternoon and downloaded a detective.

As we reported, cops have released photos of 2 persons of interest. We do not know if one of them is the person the woman saw.

Chicago PD sources tell us they have looked at numerous videos in the area in question, but have not seen any footage of an altercation.

9:21 PM PT -- According to local reporter Rob Elgas, Smollett was seen on surveillance camera walking on the opposite side of the street from the two persons of interest. Elgas claims both Smollett and the unidentified people then walk off camera (on different cameras). Smollett is unaccounted for on camera for about 60 seconds. He then reappears on surveillance entering a condo building with what appears to be street salt on his sweater and the rope around his neck. Jussie arrives at a friend's place where police arrive to take a report.

We've confirmed with law enforcement sources that Smollett refused to turn his cell phone over to authorities after telling them he was on the phone with his manager during the incident.

5:43 PM PT -- Chicago PD just released this screengrab from the surveillance video but, as you can see, it's virtually impossible to make out a single feature of the "persons of interest."

Cops say the two people in the image were walking on New Street near the intersection with E. Illinois Street between 1:30 AM and 1:45 AM. They're about a block from the Subway restaurant Jussie had gone to Tuesday morning ... and roughly halfway between the restaurant and Jussie's home.

Our law enforcement sources tell us detectives have scoured camera footage in the area and, to this point, haven't seen any sign of the alleged attack or Jussie's assailants.

Cops say they want to speak to the persons of interest to determine if they witnessed or were involved in the incident. As you can see from this image ... they've got their work cut out for them.

Cops investigating the Jussie Smollett attack say they finally have a lead from surveillance video ... but they're gonna need the public's help to locate multiple persons of interest.

Chicago PD says detectives were able to find a camera angle that revealed "persons of interest wanted for questioning" in the assault and battery of the "Empire" star. Cops are careful not to call the people suspects in the case.

Police say they'll be releasing images of the persons of interest shortly.

We broke the story ... Jussie says two men in ski masks jumped him, beat him up, doused him with bleach and left a rope around his neck before fleeing. He says they yelled, "MAGA country" as they got away.

We've confirmed Jussie's manager Brandon Z. Moore told police he was on the phone with Jussie during the alleged attack. Brandon says he told cops he clearly heard the MAGA comment as well as the racial and homophobic slurs.

We know the attack happened somewhere near Jussie's residence in Chicago, and that police were reviewing cameras -- city-owned and from privately owned buildings in the area.

Originally Published 3:11 PM PT

"Empire" star Jussie Smollett didn't want to be encumbered by an entourage of bodyguards when he wasn't working ... despite an offer by Fox a week before the brutal attack.

Sources close to the situation tell us ... security for the "Empire" cast was increased last week after Fox Studios, in Chicago, received that threatening, homophobic letter addressed to Smollett.

We're told Fox made the call to beef up security for everyone on set and wanted to give Jussie additional protection around the clock ... but, he declined. Our sources say he made the decision to not have extra security during off-hours because it was an intrusive way of living.

We broke the story ... the actor was brutally attacked by 2 men in Chicago after he arrived late Monday from New York, and made a 2 AM run to Subway for food. The 2 men -- both white and wearing ski masks -- beat Jussie, put a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him. As they left the injured actor, the men screamed, "MAGA country."

Our "Empire" production sources tell us Jussie will have 24/7 armed security going forward ... at least until the 2 thugs are apprehended.

Smollett missed shooting on Tuesday as he recovered from his injuries, but we're told he plans to return soon, and the show will go on as planned ... although, the shooting schedule will be reshuffled to accommodate Jussie.

Chicago cops are still investigating the incident. The FBI continues to investigate the threatening letter containing the racist and homophobic slurs. Both agencies are trying to determine if the letter and the attack are connected.

Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are understandably enraged by the brutal attack of Jussie Smollett.

We got the famed Hollywood director and producer in Bev Hills Tuesday afternoon, and their reactions to the racist and homophobic beating of the "Empire" star were visceral.

Grazer, who produces the hit Fox show, struggles to compose himself ... and then Howard unloads.

Both men want justice ... as in, throw the book at the monsters who committed the hate crime.

We broke the story ... Smollett was attacked by 2 men around 2 AM Tuesday shortly after leaving a Subway sandwich shop. The men beat him up, tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach over him and yelled, "MAGA country."

The attack came just 8 days after Fox Studios in Chicago received a threatening letter addressed to Smollett containing homophobic and racist slurs.

Juliette Lewis isn't down with the notion that Ted Bundy was a "sexy" serial killer ... and she's weirded out by anyone -- especially women -- who thinks that.

The actress and singer was at LAX Tuesday when we asked her about the "hot" buzz around Bundy -- due to the fact that Zac Efron is playing him in the new film, "Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile."

Juliette thinks it's very gross, though she's got no problem with casting the stupidly handsome Efron as the infamous murderer. Her beef's with "weirdo women" who fall for a killer who happens to be charming and good looking -- when his heinous crimes are common knowledge.

As we've told you ... one of Ted Bundy's survivors, Kathy Kleiner Rubin, is fine with the hot take on Bundy in the new movie, as long as people learn a lesson about his evil ways.

Michael Carbonaro might need to pull a rabbit out of his hat -- or from behind the counter -- 'cause he's heading to trial for allegedly screwing over the lady who created the idea for his hit TV magic show.

Carbonaro was sued in 2015 by producer Beth Einhorn, when she claimed he'd broken a verbal agreement that she says they struck in 2012, to create a show based on the popular 'Tonight Show' skit called "Magic Clerk" ... which she wrote and he starred in.

Best of Magic Clerk from Trickster Productions on Vimeo.

Einhorn claims she and Carbonaro entered into a 50/50 verbal contract to produce a spin-off series based on "Magic Clerk," which she says they called "TrickShow." It would've been similar in premise -- a hidden camera show where in-store hijinks fool customers.

Fast-forward to 2014 ... Einhorn says she discovered Michael suddenly had his own show, "The Carbonaro Effect" ... which Beth says is an exact duplicate of what they allegedly agreed to produce together. Einhorn claims Carbonaro peddled the show as his own thing ... without crediting or paying her a dime.

'TCE' went on to be a huge hit on truTV, and now the 2015 lawsuit is heading to a jury trial, which starts Wednesday.

Rev. Al Sharpton is calling on President Trump to start speaking out -- and tweeting up a storm -- against the the MAGA hatred that apparently fueled the vicious attack on Jussie Smollett.

Sharpton joined us on "TMZ Live" to talk about what happened to his friend and said he doesn't blame Trump for the homophobic, racially-charged attack. However, Sharpton said the President should strongly denounce the attackers to make it crystal clear his slogan shouldn't be used as a battle cry for hate crimes.

As we first reported ... 2 men attacked Smollett at around 2 AM in Chicago and put his head in a noose and doused him in bleach. Jussie's reps say the men screamed, "This is MAGA country" as they fled the scene.

Sharpton told us, if Trump doesn't deliver a stern message to his nearly 58 million followers on Twitter condemning the attack ... "his silence would be very, very deafening."

2 Chainz and Adam Scott are partnering up to put cash in your pocket -- or at least to teach you how to get some green, and there's a Super Bowl connection.

The finance management company Expensify recruited 2C and AS -- an odd, but hilarious pairing -- to star in a new music video for the song, "Expensify This." The video/commercial has a cool interactive feature -- if you download their app and take pics of the receipts that show up in the vid ... you'll earn the chance to stack a little dough or win other prizes.

The video itself is like a mock hip-hop video, but the tune's pretty catchy. BTW, the whole point of the app is to more easily manage your finances with just a snap of a photo. We're told the company also plans to run a Super Bowl spot during the second quarter, so they're dropping some coin on the campaign -- just north of $5 mil for a 30-second spot.

Geoffrey Owens says his redemption song came full circle Sunday night at the 25th SAG Awards ... but his comeback isn't even close to done yet.

The former 'Cosby Show' star was at LAX Monday after hitting the SAG ceremony where he was one of the actors who got a cameo in the broadcast's "I Am an Actor" intro. He also got a rousing response from his fellow union members.

We asked if he felt redeemed after a customer tried to publicly shame him for working at Trader Joe's a few months ago. It's a resounding yes from Geoff ... and he tells us exactly why.

He says the last few months have been a whirlwind of emotions and mostly a dream come true. He's gotten a lot of acting gigs and opportunities after the photo of him working the register at TJ's went viral.

Geoffrey tells us Hollywood's re-opened its doors for him, and he's eternally grateful to be working so consistently again. As to whether he signed on for any new projects while at the award show ... it sounds like he kept the wheeling and dealing to a minimum.

It might be better that way in the end, 'cause Geoffrey already has some auditions lined up this week. Side note: the dude's still got love for Trader Joe's, and a go-to product.

Patricia Arquette's seemingly out-of-place shout-out to Robert Mueller during her SAG speech wasn't out of place at all, 'cause she says it was ALL from the heart.

We got Patricia Monday fresh on the heels of her big Sunday night at the 25th SAG Awards -- where she thanked the Special Counsel during her acceptance speech for Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series. She told us she was just trying to express her true feeling ... relief.

The actress says Mueller is doing the country a huge service by investigating the Trump campaign and potential cooperation with Russians to interfere in the 2016 election. She thinks the probe has everyone -- on both sides of the aisle -- feeling some sense of reassurance.

Our photog asks if she thinks Roger Stone's recent arrest and indictment is the last shoe to drop for Trump and co. but, like many of us, she's not too sure at this point.

Welcome to Netflix and chill ... Hollywood edition.

Tons of celebs hit up the streaming giant's SAG Awards after-party Sunday night at the Sunset Tower Hotel in WeHo. Netflix dominated all streaming services, cable and broadcast networks with 15 SAG nominations but only hauled in 2 statues. That didn't stop Netflix from turning up.

Lupita Nyong'o, Rami Malek, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael B. Jordan, Susan Kelechi, and Sterling K. Brown were just some of the celebs who made appearances.

The WWE is hitting Maroon 5 with a metaphorical steel chair -- slamming the band's Super Bowl halftime show as trash, in an effort to get fans to watch the WWE's halftime event instead.

Vince McMahon's company unleashed the hit piece Sunday night during the Royal Rumble -- asking fans why the hell they would watch Maroon 5 while they could be watching 6-man tag team match.

WWE even showed a picture of Adam Levine and added booing sound effects to really drive home the point.

It's all to promote WWE's new 'Halftime Heat' show -- featuring wrestlers like Aleister Black, Velveteen Dream and more. It'll air live on WWE Network and various social media platforms as counter-halftime programming.

Yeah, it's a cheap shot at the NFL and Maroon 5 ... but it's funny.

The 25th SAG Awards is in full swing, and if you take a peek behind the scenes ... you'll see everyone was dressed to the nines and beyond for this thing.

Tons of actors were on hand Sunday for the award show honoring folks in the SAG-AFTRA union, and nobody skimped on the swank -- including Michael B. Jordan (who wore a colorful Louis Vuitton harness over his tux), Lady Gaga who dazzled in a white gown, Viggo Mortensen who killed it with maroon ... and lots and lots of other stars who brought out their best outfits.

Some other standouts ... Chris Pine in the classic all-white tux, Sandra Oh who donned a gorgeous red gown, Darren Criss who sizzled in silver and, frankly, the entire "Black Panther" cast ... who looked absolutely incredible together in the front row.

Lolo Jones and Tamar Braxton came thiiis close to throwing hands in the "Celebrity Big Brother" house ... after the Olympian called Tamar a "bitch" during a heated confrontation.

Tensions had been building between the two houseguests for days -- but things finally "popped off" Saturday morning when an argument exploded into real smack talk ... and threats of physical violence.

Tamar -- wearing a weird "Back to the Future" mask -- did NOT back down from Lolo ... telling her, "I am from Baltimore. You do not want that problem."

When Tamar got into Lolo's face, Jones flexed on Tamar and said, "I'm right here."

In a moment captured on the 'Big Brother' live feed -- you can see Tamar saying, "The next time somebody calls me a bitch, I'm just gonna' start yankin'."

Lolo hears the threat and responds, "Then do it."

Tamar replied, "Then say it."

The good news -- the women didn't ever come to blows ... but they're both still in the "Big Brother" house.

Question is ... who wins if they REALLY do fight?? The world-class Olympic athlete or the battle-tested Baltimore brawler??

Ray J is already making a bunch of cash after selling off his Scoot-E-Bike brand ... stocks for his new venture soared 300% in just two days.

TMZ broke the story, Ray signed a 7-figure deal Wednesday to turn Scoot-E-Bike over to Canadian company LOOPShare. Our sources say as part of the contract, Ray got close to 19 million LOOPShare shares, and will remain as a consultant to help the biz grow.

It didn't take long for Ray's touch to start making a difference -- LOOPShare stock opened at $.05 Wednesday and closed at $.16 Friday -- a 300% growth ... and some serious dough in Ray's pocket.

As we reported, LOOPShare and Scoot-E-Bike will aim to take down ride share giants like Bird Scooters with a plan to supply users with 3 types of scooters to get around town.

We're told Ray has turned down a ton of TV gigs over the last year to focus on his future as a businessman.