After making international headlines over the past month after revealing he was the victim of a targeted homophobic and racist attack in Chicago at the end of January, it now appears as if Empire actor Jussie Smollett has fabricated the whole incident with the help of two Nigerian brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo.
Among the claims originally made by Smollett was that, on 29 January during the early hours of the morning, as he was walking back to his hotel from a nearby takeaway restaurant, he was assaulted by two attackers who also shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him.
Smollett further alleged that they hanged a noose around his neck and poured a substance appearing to be bleach over his body. Reports that they were shouting, “This is MAGA-country” during the attack was never confirmed.
While Smollett didn’t report the attack initially, his manager called police at 2:42 a.m. before the actor was taken to hospital for the treatment of lacerations on his face and neck. He was later released.
However, a subsequent investigation led to evidence being presented to a grand jury on February 20, revealing details on how Smollett had staged the attack.
After being interviewed by the police, the Osundairo have confirmed that they were paid for the “attack” and even drove with Smollett in the days prior to the incident to scout for a location where the trio rehearsed a similar scenario before executing their plan.
Smollett has since been charged with a Class Four felony for disorderly conduct due to falsifying a police report. If found guilty he could face up to three years in jail.
Trees to celebrate Arbor Month