Jesse Smollett was defiant at a concert on Saturday night at the Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood:
"I have so many words in my heart that I want to say, but the most important thing is thank you so much, and that I am O.K "
Smollett said that although he had not fully healed, "I had to be here tonight."
He said he could not let his attackers win, referring to them with an expletive.