American singer HENRY, of Nigerian descent, stepped forward on the 28th to defend Jessi amidst allegations involving the assault of a minor fan. He introduced himself as an eyewitness who appears in the footage of the incident, saying, “I’m putting everything I love on the line to say Jessi did nothing wrong. How could Jessi control a crazy guy?” he argued in her defense.
HENRY, known for R&B hits like ‘Belong with Me’, ‘Put It Down’, ‘Was It’, ‘Dominos’, and ‘Every Day & Night’, has gained attention for his diverse music contributions. He also co-wrote ‘Love or Die’ for TNX, which was ranked 14th on Billboard's 'Best K-pop Songs of 2023' last year. Responding to Jessi’s involvement in the alleged incident, HENRY shared his account as an eyewitness.
HENRY explained, “I was invited by some friends in the music industry to a café in Gangnam. I met Jessi and other new friends there for the first time. After the bar closed, we decided to eat and rest. There were around 12 of us. We walked around looking for a restaurant, and many fans recognized Jessi and asked for photos, which she kindly obliged.”
He added, “While we dispersed and waited to regroup, many of the people were drunk, but Jessi and I weren’t. Jessi mentioned she rarely goes out, and this was her first time out in a while. She felt upset about people being drunk and separated.”
He continued, “Soon, a male fan approached Jessi with two friends and requested a photo. Being tired and caring for her intoxicated friend, she politely declined, saying she was exhausted. Despite her refusal, the fan kept asking ‘why?’ and seemed to be pestering her.”
Describing the altercation, HENRY said, “As we were about to leave, a guy we had only met that night suddenly struck the fan. We were all shocked and confused by this senseless violence, and Jessi was naturally scared and anxious. None of us knew this man personally, and we were all taken aback by his actions. Later, we found out he wasn’t even from Korea. Jessi tried her best to stop the fight from escalating, but the man’s decision to strike was absurd.”
He continued, “Jessi, distressed, called a friend for help, and we met her friend at a nearby restaurant to calm down and discuss the incident. We weren’t there to drink; we just wanted to resolve what had happened. The police arrived and checked everyone’s IDs, and the fan confirmed ‘it wasn’t them,’ so the police left.”
HENRY firmly stated, “I’m putting everything I love on the line to say she did nothing wrong. I stayed until the very end that night and saw everything myself. How could she control crazy guys she doesn’t even know? They need to stop making her out to be a bad person. That’s the real fabrication.”
The incident occurred on September 28th in Apgujeong, Gangnam, when a minor fan reportedly requested a photo with Jessi, only to be assaulted by a man believed to be with Jessi’s group. CCTV footage of Jessi attempting to mediate briefly before leaving the scene stirred criticism, with some saying she abandoned moral responsibility as the fan was assaulted. Jessi has since appeared for questioning at Seoul’s Gangnam Police Station.
Jessi apologized twice, expressing, “Although this happened because of me, my actions and inaction from the start of the incident have hurt many people, including the victim, leaving them feeling betrayed and angry. I’ve regretted it countless times. If only I could go back. Even though it’s late, I’ll work to make things right and help the victim recover. I apologize once more. I was wrong.”
However, the assault victim expressed doubt on JTBC’s ‘Incident Chief’, stating, “It doesn’t seem like Jessi is truly reflecting on this, and her mention of moral responsibility lacks sincerity.”
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