Now, after questioning two men originally thought to be suspects, police say new information has "shifted the trajectory of the investigation."
News of the reported assault went viral and was met with mixed reactions online, with many suggesting the incident is a hoax, something the actor has denied.
On Saturday, CNN quoted law enforcement sources as saying the Empire actor paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him.
Smollett's attorneys have said that the actor feels "victimized" by claims that he "played a role in his own attack."
Police are now seeking to speak again with the actor and have reached out to his legal team, while TMZ is reporting that a grand jury will hear the case next week.
There was no immediate response from court officials or prosecutors. Courts are closed over Presidents Day Weekend.
Here's a full timeline showing what we know about the alleged attack on Smollett:
January 22 - The Letter: Chicago police confirm that a threatening letter addressed to Smollett, containing a white powder, was sent to Cinespace Studios, the Chicago set of Empire. A HAZMAT unit is sent and the powder is determined to be crushed up aspirin, according to CNN.
January 29 - The Alleged Assault: Smollett, who is black and gay, reports to police that he was assaulted in Chicago by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him. Authorities begin investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.
According to NBC News, Smollett told police that he had just landed in town from New York and was attacked as he stepped out to get a bite to eat at a Subway restaurant around 2 a.m. on East North Lower Water Street, in the upscale neighborhood of Streeterville.
Two "unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him," the Chicago Police Department says in a statement. "The offenders began to batter the victim with their hands about the face and poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim."
A source familiar with the investigation tells NBC News that the chemical is believed to be bleach.
Police say Smollett told them the attackers were men wearing dark clothing and ski masks.
"At some point during the incident, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim's neck," the police statement says. "The offenders fled the scene."
TMZ reports that as the men left the scene, they yelled, "This is MAGA country," a reference to President Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" 2016 campaign slogan. Chicago police later say in a statement to to E! News, "In the initial reports there was no mention of MAGA. When detectives followed up with [Smollett] later in the day, he recalled the offenders making those comments and detectives completed a supplemental report."
Smollett finds his own way to Northwestern Memorial Hospital for treatment and is said to be in good condition.
A police spokesperson says the actor "is fully cooperating" with their investigation.
January 29 - Celebs Rally Behind Smollett: ...and call for #JusticeforJesse.
"You didn't deserve to have a noose put around your neck, to have bleach thrown on you, to be called 'die f––––t, n––––r,' or whatever they said to you," Empire creator Lee Daniels writes on Instagram. You are better than that. We are better than that. America is better than that. We have to love each other regardless of what sexual orientation we are, because it shows that we are united."
TMZ reports that Daniels briefly posted, then deleted, a screen grab from a FaceTime session he had with Smollett while he was in the hospital.
January 30 - Two "Persons of Interest"? Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweets, "#ChicagoPolice detectives located a surveillance camera that shows potential persons of interest wanted for questioning in reference to the assault & battery of Empire actor."
Images of two figures walking on a sidewalk are then released by the department.
E!
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