The Curious Case of Jussie Smollett
I feel like to start this story I need to actually introduce you to Jussie Smollett. There are so many opinions, and thinkpieces surrounding his case. But The thing is if Jusse was a regular guy who did what he's accused of doing people would probably only care for like a day. However it's because of his celebrity, because he's famous that it matters. But the thing is the type of work that h’s in is usually only for a specific demographic. Like I find it really hard to believe that far right activists, and neo Nazis were watching Empire. I also honestly find it hard to believe that anyone over the age of 35 was watching Empire. I watched like three episodes and then that was it. I just knew him as this really hot gay character who could sing. But he was famous enough, and he's done a lot which cannot be discredited despite this crazy story that I'm about to tell you.
see despite him being this actor and singer covered in controversy, I feel like people heard the basic facts and then drew the wrong conclusions. Myself included. Which is why I decided to actually research this case and share it with you. I want you to hear the full story and then decide what to believe.
Jussie smollett was born on June 21st 1982. He's known for being an American actor and singer like I mentioned before, but his roots actually started in Santa Rosa CA. He began acting at the age of 9 in films like the Mighty Ducks, and North. I've only seen one of those movies, can you guess which one? Jussie came from a pretty large family he was a son to Joel and Janet Smollett and he has three brothers and two sisters and all of them start with the letter J. I really wanna go on a rant about people who have families with the exact first letter of every single name but I just know we don't have that time in this podcast so I'm going to keep going. Of his siblings Jake, Jocqui, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jazz. Are all actors. You probably recognize Jurnee as being one of the greatest actresses of our time, and that's a fact not my opinion, OK I need to keep it legitimacy of this show, that is definitely my opinion but she's pretty famous for being in movies like Roll Bounce, Temptation which sucked, Birds of Prey, and shows like Friday Night Lights, and Lovecraft Country. This Smollett family were pretty stand out, there was a bunch of them, and with an African American mother and a white Jewish father they were pretty unique family. All the siblings kind of look alike, tan skin curly dark hair and all of them very attractive. A lot of them started acting as kids. That must have been pretty difficult, like you're working as a team but also competing for a little bit of attention. When you're not competing within the family you're competing for roles. Jurnee ended up being the most successful out of the family by far. During Jussie’s childhood he ended up moving with his entire family to Queens NY he was a baby at the time, and eventually moved back to Los Angeles. But then, during high school the family moved across the country again to Paramus NJ. That's where Jussie attended Paramus Catholic High School. With his career and large family Jussie kind of spent a lot of his time all over the place. Another strange fact was that his father wasn't in his life for a good portion. It isn't clear when he left or for how long but it did stand out growing up with a black mother and an absent white father, it impacted him, but he never let it really get him to a place of darkness. When he was 19 he actually came out as gay, his family was pretty supportive and Jussie kind of always knew who he was. And he stood on that.
As Jussie got older for a while he wasn't really acting. His last best known gig was in 1995 when he actually acted alongside of his five siblings in a short ABC sitcom called on our own. However it was in 2012 when Jussie ended up getting a leading role in a LGBT themed comedy drama called The Skinny. Also that year he released his first EP titled the Poison Hearts Club. Between 2012 and 2014 he had a bunch of different guest roles on shows including The Mindy Project and Revenge.
But it was in 2014 when things really started to shake for Jussie Smollett. He had landed his first huge role as Jamal Lyon in Empire. It was pretty big at the time. The show basically was about this super famous corrupt family in the music industry that was making waves. And Jamal Lyon was the gay middle son who had the most talent and the worst relationship with his father. Do we see any glaring similarities here?
Jussie was killing the game. He was working alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji Henson . The show was like an overnight success, it was a huge fox drama and ended up being on for like 6 seasons. More importantly Jussie’s role was kind of groundbreaking. He played an openly gay black man at a time where that was pretty unheard of. Actually I don't know that many roles were that was normalized. People rooted for Jussie. I mean Jussie was a serious star. In 2015 about a year following his debut he confirmed that he had signed with Columbia records and was beginning to release an album in the future. He even Co wrote a bunch of songs on Empire, I forgot to mention they're like a musical meets drama it's a whole thing. honestly you can watch if you want, I encourage you to just so you can get a feel for Jussie. I wasn't a big fan like I said after three episodes I was pretty much out. This was kind of like Jussie’s year, in June 2015 it was announced that he was going to guest star alongside his sister in this movie Underground, he released an album in 2018, and it kind of felt like there was nowhere to go but up.
Well there was until there wasn't. See when I say actors like Anne Hathaway has the career of a lifetime, or I say that Leonardo DiCaprio has the career of a lifetime, or if I even say singer Olivia Rodrigo is on the rise it's because they are going to be nationally and universally known. But just like I mentioned earlier most people only know Jussie smollett from Empire a show with predominantly black viewers. A lot of times black actors in Hollywood kind of get put into these boxes. They end up only being on shows that's surround themselves with scenarios regarding people of color. They're famous in black Hollywood and maybe moderately known in the general Hollywood public eye. And yeah you make an incredible living, you have a substantial amount of fans and fame. But a lot of these actors who are very talented never get to make it to the peak that they probably deserve because a lot of these directors end up casting them as these stereotypical roles like the black BFF, or a black police chief, or a black head nurse. That's if they cast them at all. Someone like Jurnee, Jussie’s sister was able to kind of break out of that, she had multiple roles but even then she kind of has stayed in a specific genre. Jussie despite his groundbreaking role and album, was kind of at risk of becoming stagnant. Like I mentioned this album, but I didn't hear any of his songs on the radio, did you? Not only that but he wanted to do more in acting which includes directing and writing in fact he did direct a movie B boy Blues based on the 1994 black gay novel by James Earl Hardy the movie was actually released in November of 2021. I don't think I saw a single commercial or promotion around it. So it's interesting that in January 29th 2019 Jussie Smollett was walking down the street and would become one of the most notorious names in the country, seemingly overnight.
January in Chicago is a cold that most people won't experience in this lifetime. There are biting winds, snow frequently, and icy streets. Just after the holidays you can expect a beautiful snowfall to now feel like a prickely frozen hell. Most people who live out there will tell you that you need to wear a large thick jacket, a hood with fur around the rim to protect yourself from the icy air. Chicago is known to have a city that is cleaner than other cities, in the summertime it is the perfect place that you want to be. The city is known for it's high buildings that are usually made of glass so if you're on even the 10th floor you can overlook the entire metropolitan area. It's probably extremely beautiful no matter the season. The city is known for its bars and restaurants, it's bustling nature, writers and creatives flock to the area. It's usually a setting in any crime movie, and it's separated by a train system that seems to stop in any impoverished area. You can tell the segregation from the middle class and lower class. Most violence that happens in the city is usually in more low income areas, and that's just the long and short of it. That area has been nicknamed Chiraq for murders of black men versus black men. But in the city, you've got your normal amount of crime. Robbery here, assault there, but where Jussie lived a place with high-rise condos and large parking garages, a place that if you work in finance, or healthcare, or if you make little money in, I don't know cryptocurrency you could live pretty decently. And the actor was doing well for himself he made great money off of Empire and because of that lived comfortably. Which is probably why as he walked down the dark snowy streets he wasn't worried.
See, Jussie had just flown in from a work trip, and made his way to Chicago where he called his uncle, and creative director, who in interviews he made quite an effort to note the distinction , Frank, to come pick him up and take him home. Once they got in Jussie realized it was getting late and he was hungry. First he made his way to the local Walgreens which was walking distance from the apartment complex. He figured maybe it was 24 hours like a 711 and he could grab a cigarette, and some snacks. To his surprise once he arrived he realized that the store was closed, so that wasn't going to work. He called frank and let him know that he was going to head to the subway. He also makes a note that he's going to subway, but isn't buying a sandwich, he's buying a salad. And look I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but it kind of does, because as he tells this story continuously, it seems a little bit, image based but I'm going to continue.
Frank responded that he wasn't hungry and that Jussie should just go ahead and grab the sandwiches and head on home. Jesse began to make his way towards the subway sandwhich shop, while doing so he whipped his phone out one more time to text his manager Brandon, he asked if he could call him shortly. They were going to go over a couple work related stuff while he took the walk to subway and back. Brandon calls and the two began to chat it was pretty brief and that's when he heard someone shouting behind him. It distracted Jussie because he assumed he was the only one out in the streets, it was late.
Also, there is language I am about to use that I do not condone, but I don’t know how to bleep out curses yet.
The voice yelled “Empire” which Jussie didn't respond. He had fans sure, but most of them knew him at least by his first name, and they wouldn't call him out by this show that he was on. Then the voice repeated it “Empire” then the voice yelled another obscene word “Faggot” and then the voice continued repeated “Empire” “Faggot” and finally “Empire Nigger”
Once the figure caught up to Jussie he turned around and saw a stature of a larger man cocking back and punching Jussie in the face. In shock Jussie reached back his own hand and swung. The assailant yelled “This is MAGA Country” The two began to tussle, when another figure was brought in as well and Jussie realized that he was attacked. His feet slipped and slushed against the icy ground as the two men pounded and pushed on Jussie. He tried his best to keep up and defend himself and at one point fell where his phone had fallen out of his pocket. He must have put it in there during the collision.
Eventually the two figures ran away he watched them turn left and out of view he grabbed his phone which was now cracked and pressed it against his ear “Brandon are you there?”
Brandon frantically ask what's going on. Jussie replied that he had just been jumped. He explained that as he began to get his bearings he felt against his chest and that's when he realized there was a rope. During the attack they must have wrapped it around his neck, like a noose. In a panic he made it home where frank was waiting and called the police. And Jesse said that he wanted to keep the rope around his neck. He had loosened it and set it against his shoulders and wanted to show the police what these people had done. In an interview with Robin Roberts, Jussie explains that he asked the police to turn off their cameras and come inside instead of asking questions in the hallway of the building he wanted to keep things moderately quiet. He explained what happened and said that the two men were wearing ski masks which wasn't that surprising because it was freezing cold out. He also realized there was a camera just above the alleyway where they fight it ensued he thought maybe there would be some sort of footage. In fact when police went to gather the camera evidence they didn't find anything. see it had been facing in the north direction which I'm assuming is opposite of where the attack happened. And thus there was no actual footage of the fights. However there was something that was caught on a separate camera, a small image of two figures in all black. Even from the short screenshot you can tell that they are bigger men that are probably brolick and definitely could have overpowered Jussie.
Jussie explained that he didn't really get a look, he couldn't tell you the color of the assailants eyes, but when he saw the figures in the image, he immediately knew it was them.
Jussie went to the hospital to examine his injuries, and it was clear he'd been punched in the face there was a cut just under his right eye and he looked a little bit swollen and red. He also noted that he smelled bleach, there was some strong lingering odor, and it wasn't coming from the hospital, it was coming from him. He looked down and realized that his shirt which he had not changed when the police came, had little dots on it. At one point the attackers had wrapped a rope around his neck and thrown bleach on his shirt, not damaging his eyes or any open orifice, but they poured it on him.
Jussie felt humiliated, he had no idea what actually had just happened to him. The biggest thing though, is that even though he felt ashamed, and disgusting, and invaded, he was not weak. he repeated this multiple times in Robin Roberts interview, he said that he wanted to keep this under wraps, he was a black gay man living in Chicago and was just attacked by people who at the very least were far right supporters. What he wanted people to know above anything else, was that he wasn't weak, and he wasn't a liar.
Now I'm going to do a very brief history lesson because I know that we all remember 2016 to 2020. But during this time especially during 2018 and 19 race relations were at an all time high. Donald Trumps’ administration and his presidency highlighted just how much racism exists in in this country. As Donald Trump put it in one of his speeches after a murder that happened in North Carolina, “there was violence on both sides” Which as we know isn't true there was violence and there were people defending themselves. But something about Donald Trump’s presidency, and I'm going to try to not get too political here, but it allowed people to take their masks off, which is ironic with us living in a time of COVID, but people were able to be who they truly were, racists were able to truly be racist. However not without rebuttal. Many Times Now if attacks happened or harassment happened people were fighting back, they were recording fights they were outing these people that were doing these horrible heinous crimes against humanity. Hate crimes were occurring, but they were also being held accountable. And what Jussie smollett proved was that even a celebrity can be a victim of a heinous act.
Which is why people were enraged. I mean you had other celebrities speaking out on his behalf immediately. The very next day on January 30th 2019 there were stars like Viola Davis, and Grace Byers, and Naomi Campbell showing support. Even comedian Steve Harvey said “"This is about coming to the aid of another brother that has tasted the brutality of hatred and racism and bigotry."
I mean people were angry, and the thing is this was of course a hate crime against Jussie easily there is no disputing that, but the assailants saying MAGA country, which represented Make America Great Again which of course is the slogan under Donald Trump showed this other layer that your political beliefs were starting to be the driver of outlandish racism. I mean there was so much talk about this, I remember when it came out being angry myself I'm sure I even tweeted something, everyone was talking if it wasn't celebrities it was co workers, family members. There were people instantly writing blogs, and columns being written, and the nation became further divided. Looking back, imagine being someone who is a republican, and a trump supporter and isn't violent, you are now further hated because someone that you affiliate with at least politically committed this heinous act. And imagine being a person of color walking the city of Chicago where usually you would assume that violent attacks happen, but not to this degree, not at this much hate. And all the while Jussie smollett had been attacked and had officially become the face of stepping out against hate. I mean there are hundreds of viral videos of racist acts, karen's being shamed. But a lot of times after about 24 to 48 hours another story pops up and you kind of lose interest in the one before. But Jussie smollett, was a celebrity he was famous and this story was making him the poster child for change.
On January 31st police interviewed Jesse again and they asked for him to hand over his phone, it was supposed to be used for evidence who did he call how long was the call, but Jesse was kind of against it, he felt like why should I give my phone over what does this have to do with the people that attacks me? And he refused to hand over the phone. And honestly the police were kind of understanding about it they said that he's a victim and that they weren't going to treat him like a criminal. Jussie also felt like there were a lot of numbers in his phone he was someone of a certain status and he didn't want any of those personal information to be leaked
On February 12th Jussie spoke for the first time in the Robin Roberts interview that I mentioned he sat there in a black blazer and white crisp T shirt, his low curls cut into a fade. He had a heart with rainbow colors pinned on the lapel of his left side. And he told a story. Of what happened to him, and though I've just explained the story, I'm going to let you listen to jusse's words:
*play 3 minute clip*
Jesse is blinking back tears as best he can as he reminisces on the horrible incident that happened a couple days prior at this same time the outpouring love that he's gotten from fans, members of black lives matter, and his celebrity peers continue. People have signs saying JUSTICE FOR JUSSIE and black queer lives matter. JUSSIE said essentially that he had a new responsibility to uphold this horrible thing happened to him and the two people that did this need to be held accountable.
Robin Roberts asked the hard questions, she wanted Jussie to not only explain what happened to him that night but address some of the holes in his story. See in the midst of all this there were a couple of holes. Holes that, any true crime fanatic like ourselves would notice. The first is that this attack had actually happened really late, I'm talking like 2:00 AM. Jussie being out getting food at 2:00 AM just didn't really sound right, he claims that Subway is open 24 hours, this is actually news to me, also his phone. He explains that he doesn't know whether the fight lasted seconds or minutes, but he was on the phone with someone who could account for that. When police asked for his phone he explained that he did not want to give his physical phone up but he didn't want the phone records being shared. Although it was only going to be for three or four hours, so the question is was there a doubt that the police would be professional and keep the personal information that they witnessed within the investigation?
Jussie eventually gave over these phone records over, however they were limited and heavily redacted according to police. Who also said that they would need more information to continue the investigation.
I’m going to play for you his reasoning for not handing over the phone:
**play why he didn’t want to hand his phone over**
he mentions his private songs, as if the police are going to leak those. It's just I don't know, it feels off. And maybe you're listening to it and you don't get that and I don't want to bring an unbiased opinion into this piece but just something doesn't feel right. Jussie goes on to explain that if the attackers were black, or Muslim, that maybe the doubters would believe that this happened to him.
Jussie also clears up some rumors that had gone around. The first was that the assailants were wearing MAGA hats that wasn't true and he never said that, he also says that the rumors that he was going out to meet someone romantically are also false. He was just going out to get food, and he's in a happy relationship. Finally there were rumors that his attack had left him with broken ribs, and honestly it would be assumed just by the stature of the two men that there would have been more damage done, but aside from a couple scratches and a bruised face Jussie walked in and out of that hospital.
However people still doubted the validity of this story. And then there was just how the interview was conducted. Jussie smollett is an actor that is his profession and something about that interview just kind of seemed like a performance. I want to always be unbiased in my cases, and allow you as a listener to decide for yourself which is why the facts come first, in my opinion comes last, after yours. However these holes were undeniable, because what we're saying is that these two people corner Jussie, beat him up, and pulled bleach and a rope out of their pockets. But they didn't want to kill him, it was like the rope around his neck was figurative, a humiliation not an attempt at murder. Because even though the rope left a mark, Jussie doesn't mention feeling strangled.
Jussie believes that this attack was because he's been very vocal about being against president trump administration. However it would also mean that whoever did this was stalking Jussie. They would have had to corner him, know that he was coming home from Chicago that day, they'd also have to make sure they had their bleach and rope on hand, this was a planned attack and if the motive was to protect, or stand up for president trump then this was way more than a hate crime. The president, at the time did comment on Jussie Smollett’s attack, he said that it was a horrible thing that shouldn't have happened. Jussie in an interview with Robin Roberts responded that he didn't really know what to say to that. Even as I watched the interview all I can do is hope that this incident really took place, which is terrible to say because I would not want this to happen to anyone, but it's starting to feel like it's getting much bigger than Jussie who did not even want the police to be in the hallway when he filed their report, would have ever expected or imagined. He explained that he just wanted the truth to come out, he wanted people to know this happens and that it wasn't right. Ultimately he wanted justice for what happened to him.
Jussie explained that he'd been threatened before whether it's on Twitter, or Instagram and he kind of felt like it came with the territory. He explained that he's outspoken, and stands up for what is right and that that could garner enemies. However there was no one specifically listed that he felt at least not publicly would actually stalk and attack him. However a week prior to the attack police confirmed that a letter was sent to the fox studio threatening Jussie smollett. The letter kind of looked like one of those old school ransom notes, where pieces of magazine letters were cut out and stuck to a piece of paper, there was a white residue at the bottom which was supposed to mimic I guess anthrax, but it was just crushed up Tylenol. There was also a childish drawing in red marker of a figure shooting a gun at another figure. The envelope had distorted lettering too, like someone was riding with the opposite hand or even like a child wrote it. When asked if Jussie believed that this letter could be connected to the people that attacked him. He believes yes, on the return address the person wrote MAGA.
Jussie goes on in this really tearful interview saying that he wants young gay people of color to know that it is OK to stand up for yourself and to fight back. He also wants the video footage of him fighting these two assailants to be found to show that he really was attacked outside, and that this is not something that he made up.
The interview is honestly a rollercoaster, and I have it linked in my source material for you to check out. But he explains that he just wants whoever did this to be found. And he wants his name cleared because he has no reason to lie. Which was the biggest mystery I think of all, what would be his motive to lie. I honestly pondered and debated this with my boyfriend. As I was writing this case, and there is something to note. Jussie smollett was famous, but outside of the show Empire, he wasn't extremely well known. His popularity boosted by eons after this assault. He referred to himself as the gay Tupac. He became a martyr for the LGBTQ community and black lives matter as someone who stands up against bigotry and racism and was almost killed for just being who he is. But above all else everyone in the country new Jussie smollett's name. And that's gotta count for something.
The police were hell bent on finding out who did this to Jesse and the days to follow police felt that they may have been getting closer.
On February 2nd 2019 Jussie performed at the famed troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood. He explained that he had to be there and show love to his supporters.
It kind of felt like he was almost on tour. He had his show, and then broke his silence about 12 days later with his interview with Robin.
But it is what happens between February 2nd and February 15th that is extremely crucial. On February 11th is when he submitted his phone records, and there was silence. On the 14th his infamous interview is released and the very next day on February 15th an arrest is made. And it's kind of exciting because it's like yes finally the people that did this are brought to justice just in time for this interview.
but the two people of interest that were arrested and interviewed by the police were not charged as suspects and didn't exactly fit the image that one would imagine to be the assailants behind this attack. I think it's kind of evident that it was assumed that the people that did this were white, they used the N word derogatorily , they were very strong trump supporters which is usually an indication of someone not of color. But the two people that were in to reviewed and arrested were not white, they also weren't even American.
Obabinjo (Ola) and Abimbola (Abel) Osundairo, were brothers originally from Nigeria. They'd actually even knew Jussie. See they'd worked as extras on Empire, and they had also gone to the gym quite a few times with Jussie. One of them was even a trainer for him. And it showed they were both incredibly buff men who were tall. Black, Moderately handsome, and young. So the question was what did Ola and Abel have to do with this attack? Were they trump supporters? Did they secretly hate Jussie? I mean if they knew Jussie it would make sense how they would be able to easily stalk him.
See the brothers had actually taken a trip back to Nigeria and were gone from at least February 1st to February 15th. The police actually picked up the brothers at the O'Hare International Airport. Police had actually raided the home of Ola and Abel prior to the arrest, and that's where they seized a black face mask, and empire script, a phone, receipts, a Red Hat and bleach. After this arrest people were confused and of course a lot of rumors started circling including the idea that maybe this attack was staged. These two young men happen to be conveniently out of the country right after the attack. And the question is how are they even able to pay for these tickets, to Nigeria so quickly? They weren’t cheap. Also there wasn’t any evidence that they were strong trump supporters or that they had any negative connection to Jussie, in fact to kind of seem like these people were acquaintances, friends even. So why exactly would they plan this attack? On February 17th the trajectory of the investigation shifted Chicago police were pretty hushed about the whole thing saying that some developments were made in the investigation and they'd actually released the brothers adding that it was "impossible to believe" that they "could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie's complicity".
And then the most messed up video of them all comes out, this is just insane Charlie DeMar a journalist was able to track down a surveillance of the brothers buying supplies right before the attack, and by supplies I mean black ski masks and other supplies that matched the ones used in the attack.
is it a coincidence that the two brothers are shopping for ski masks because it's freezing in Chicago, or were they working with Jesse to create a hoax of an attack?
After the bombshell of the two men shopping on camera, theres silence. Well from Jussie. See everyone kind of started backtracking I mean celebrities that had come out in support of Jussie were now changing their tune, even Robin Roberts said that she interviewed Jussie on a Tuesday and by Thursday the news had been reported of these two brothers having some sort of connection with Jussie. On February 20th 2019 Jussie smollett is charged with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report Jussie immediately gets an attorney, and still says that he is innocent. And that he is the victim in all of this. On February 21st 2019 he is officially arrested. At a press conference police Superintendent Eddie Johnson was quoted to say that Jussie took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career career. He added that the actor was dissatisfied with his salary from Empire. Police also claim that in their investigation that letter that I talked about earlier was actually one that Jussie created and sent to himself. He also paid those brothers Abel and Ola a check for about $3500 to stage the attack. He was put on bail for $100,000 and was able to post it and was out about the next day. And at this time everything began to crumble he was suspended from Empire until all of these allegations could be explained. And it all seemed like a lot of confusion.
See the first thing is Jussie isn't really someone that's had issues with the law but he has had a run in with lying in 2007 Jussie pleaded no contest to providing false information to law enforcement in regards to a misdemeanor case that was altered from a DUI stop basically Jesse had given police a false name and signed his brother's name on a summons promising to appear in court. He eventually was sentenced to two years of probation and it's not clear what his relationship is like with the brother that he pretended to be. But other than that Jesse was kind of like squeaky clean, there wasn't really any other trouble he'd been in which is why this came as a huge shock.
Jussie’s legal team continued to push for his innocence despite basically everyone kind of turning on him. Even the president at the time Donald Trump called him racist and dangerous.
But no one had exactly admitted to anything yet, see that check that was written to the brothers was called into questions. reporters eventually got a copy of the check and it was dated for January 23rd and says “5 week Nutrition/Workout program (Don't Go)."
Don't Go is the name of a music video that Jussie smollett was planning to shoot and apparently the brothers were helping him get into shape. So maybe it is a coincidence, maybe they were never paid by Jussie to do this attack however a statement from Gloria Schmidt the lawyer of Ola and Able kind of shed some light on the brothers involvement she says “ Ola and Abel have "tremendous regret over their involvement in this situation".
And "They understand how it has impacted people across the nation, particularly minority communities and especially those who have been victims of hate crimes themselves."
So is that them admitting that they were involved? Now there was a new scenario what if Jussie and these two young brothers got together and planned for this attack. The footage would show two masked figures beating up Jussie, and maybe they would never be found. The payment could have been a small check under the name of training, but could have really been for the attack. And then that coincidental trip to Nigeria, maybe to get the brothers off the scene while everything really started to blow up.
This would mean that this entire attack was staged. There were no random racist evil people running around stalking Jussie Smollett, this also would make Jussie a huge liar. This is what the police believe happened. Which is the creepiest thing about this. His ability to lie, his ability to go on television go on tours, his ability to plan out this heinous act and run with it all for fame, and money, and attention. It's like sociopathic. On March 13th Empire the show returned and Jussie Smollett’s character was supposed to appear in the remaining episodes. On March 14th Jussie Smollett pleads not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct and is due back in court of April of that year by March 20th he's speaking out about how he doesn't want this to negatively impact the show, and that he is not guilty, and that he and that brothers Abel and Ola have nothing to do in connection with plotting and planning his attack and then things kind of look up, on March 26th Jussie is cleared of all charges everything is dropped his attorneys put out a statement pretty much saying that Jussie was vilified, and that he had nothing to do with this and he was a senseless victim in all of this. But Chicago police aren't backing down they're humiliated and pissed off, and the city's mayor stands by their case that Jussie had something to do with this.
Superintendent Eddie Johnson says at the end of the day it is Mr Smollett who committed this hoax and that he stood by the evidence. Things kind of quiet down and by kind of I mean barely, the charges were dropped Jussie is still receiving criticism I mean even President Trump called the case an embarrassment to the nation. On the other hand, if this is true if this really did happen, well then that means that there are two attackers our there. Or it means Jussie believes that Ola and Abel are responsible. The thing is the charges are dropped but the police and the mayor still believe that Jussie is guilty of making a false statement and so they decide to sue him. Jussie Smollett is being sued by the Chicago police for $130,000 to cover the cost of police officers including the overtime worked on the case and on April 12th of 2019 Jussie Smollett is literally sued by the city of Chicago. I cannot make this up. In fact Jussie’s legal team is being sued for defamation by Ola and Able who say they continue to be accused of carrying out a racist and homophobic attack against the actor, when they are pretty much saying that Jussie was in on it and hired them to attack himAnd I wanna go back to what these brothers looked like for a moment. One was literally an amateur boxer, I just kind of feel like if they really attacked him, Jussie would have way more than just a bruised face, but I digress. On April 30th Jussie has no plans to return to Empire they basically write his character out.
and for a month there are the debates, people chatting over the dinner table coworkers by the water cooler bloggers and youtubers, pushing people to fight in the comments. And on June 24th the police add more fuel to the fire, the noose footage is released.
Taken from a police officer's bodycam in Jussie Smollett's apartment, it shows the actor with a rope still around his neck.
An officer says: "Do you want to take it off or anything?"
Smollett replies: "Yeah I do, I just wanted you to see it."
The footage is part of hundreds of files released by Chicago Police from their investigation into the case.
And if that isn't bad enough a video also is released, to show Abel and Ola Osundairo in a cab on the night the police were called.
But let me get more specific the video is taken from inside of a taxi and the brothers are on their way to meet Jussie smollett the nights of the reported attack according to Chicago police. Like guys I can't make this shit up.
February 12th 2020 we have COVID everyone is wearing a mask I mean it is the thick of it most people actually should be meeting virtually however six new charges are made against Jussie. He's now being charged with six counts of lying to police now after this there is a lot of waiting like I'm talking over a year and people kind of have forgotten about it, which makes sense I mean do you remember 2020?
But the trial begins on November 29th 2021 Jussie is walking up arm and arm with his sister. His family has continued to rally behind him on the opening day of his trial authorities allege that Jussie paid the brothers to carry out the attack to promote his career because he was dissatisfied with his salary on Empire. But I honestly believe it's more than that. I think as a black actor in Hollywood as I've talked about before there was a chance that maybe Jussie was kind of being put in this box that his career was at risk of dwindling. He needed a push of popularity. Special prosecutor Dan Webb argues that a secret plan was developed to make it appear that this was a hate crime that occurred by supporters of Donald Trump. During the trial Jussie says that the check was for a meal and workout plan from Able. However Able says that they were more than just gym buddies, that he was actually involved in a sexual relationship before the alleged attack. Jussie repeatedly denied everything. He said it was not a hoax he said that he didn't have relationship with Able and as a black man in America he doesn't trust the police and that he is being marginalized and attacked for no reason.
The trial actually didn't last long on December 9th 2021 Jussie Smollett is found guilty the jury were six men and six women, this case was nationally known so I'm not really sure how they were able to even fine jurors but they did find Jussie Smollett guilty of five of the six counts of disorderly conduct meaning that at least one had not been proven in court. Each of these counts carried a penalty of up to three years in prison but due to his lack of previous convictions aside from met 2007 ordeal it looked like he probably would have lighter sentencing. On March 11th sentencing for Jussie Smollett occurs and he is sentenced to 30 months of probation but not before he spends 150 days in jail and pays a fine of $145,000.
Presiding Judge James Lynn did not hold back. He told Jesse that he craved attention he wanted the attention he called him profoundly arrogant and selfish and narcissistic. Jussie sat still in a black mask underneath his chin with a burgundy tie and a black suit. There were no colorful buttons, no flash, his hair that once had full curls was shaved down. He looked solemn and gloom but he maintained his innocence. In fact Judge James Lynn continued saying that this was premeditated to the extreme. He said that Jesse had destroyed his life and that he was just a charlatan pretending to be a victim of a hate crime. When Jussie finally had a chance to speak he said ‘your honor I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.’ The deputies then lifted Jussie up and led him from the courtroom and in the final scene Jussie Smollett yelled out ‘I'm innocent’ raising his fist following with ‘I could have said I'm guilty a long time ago.’ Jussie had a lot of people especially his family go to bat for him including his grandmother who was 92 years old and begged to not send her grandson to prison. The supporters of Jussie had left also worried about him being in prison, being murdered for being gay or his Jewish heritage or just being and alleged liar. Judge Lynn did consider the request of mercy along with the fact that Jussie Smollett was a financial support for social justice organizations and of course his family. but Judge Lynn also said what I think a lot of people were thinking, that Jussie Smollett kind of came off as a narcissist and that he was astounded by his actions. He said “the damage you've done to yourself is way beyond anything else that can happen to you from me” and added “you are now permanently a convicted felon.” The sentencing is subject to appeal and it most likely will be. There's a strong chance that Jussie won't be in jail for 150 days.
Most times celebrity privilege allows people to really cut their sentencing down. In fact I'm pretty sure he's out now how do I know? Because he dropped a rap song recently. It's called Thank You God it's about 6 minutes long and the gospel R&B, meets rap rendition is streaming on all platforms in the song Jussie is continuing to claim his innocence. He says:
It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides,”
The song had less than 5000 listens the day after it was launched and apparently any profits will be donated to the rainbow push coalition. His lawyers plan to argue that the trial was unconstitutional but for now I guess we wait. Maybe its best that all that attention it's pushed somewhere else, and Jussie is out of the spotlight. Because regardless one stain you cannot get off is one of a liar. whether Jussie ends up doing full time or not his integrity will remain behind bars forever.
And as he says in his new single:
I can’t be mad / Take my ego out / Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this, this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?
Sources:
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/jussie-smollett-hero-hoax-hate-crime-sentencing-1318293/
https://abcnews.go.com/alerts/jussie-smollett
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/jussie-smolletts-attorneys-file-emergency-motion-seeking-release-from-jail/2781087/
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1087100475/court-orders-jussie-smollett-released-from-jail-during-appeal
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-commentary/jussie-smollett-hero-hoax-hate-crime-sentencing-1318293/
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/17/arts/television/jussie-smollett-released.html
https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/pictures/jussie-smollett-alleged-attack-everything-we-know-so-far/
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-47317701
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/11/jussie-smollett-jailed-for-150-days-in-jail-in-fake-racist-attack
