Appearing on Good Morning America, Smollett was emotional when he recounted his ordeal.
"I want them to find the people that did it..I want them to stop being able to say 'alleged attack'," he told the programme of his wish to recover surveillance footage from the night in question.
"I want them to see that I fought back. And I want a little gay boy who might watch this to see that I fought back. It does not take anything away from people who are not able to do that, but I fought back. They ran off, I didn't."
The men - one of whom is Smollett's former personal trainer - claim they were hired and instructed to purchase the rope that was found round the actor's neck.