Multiple credible media outlets are now reporting that Jussie Smollett staged the racist and homophobia attack against in last month in Chicago.
Both ABC News and CBS Chicago report that sources tell them the Empire actor paid two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, to orchestrate the attack after a letter sent to the Empire set threatening the 36-year-old star didn’t receive a “bigger reaction.”
Very important to note: Police have not confirmed these reports.
Related: In first interview since attack, Jussie Smollett says he’s “pissed off” at those who doubt his story
How about we take this to the next level?
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According to the ABC and CBS reports, the brothers, both acquaintances of Smollett, were reportedly paid $3500 to stage the attack, which happened in the early hours of January 29.
One of the brothers had previously worked as an extra on the Empire set; the other was Smollett’s former personal trainer.
Speaking to CBS Chicago, the brothers say: “We are not racist. We are not homophobic, and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”
CBS Chicago reports:
Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.
Sources said one of the brothers held the rope and poured bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelled slurs at Smollett. The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29.
Meanwhile, TMZ reports that the trio had rehearsed the attack beforehand. The men purportedly scouted locations, finally choosing on near Smollett’s apartment.
According to TMZ:
The brothers said Jussie chose the spot because he believed a camera would have captured the action. Our sources say the brothers told police Jussie said he wanted to make it a “physical thing,” but not to the point he’d be seriously injured. On the night Jussie says he was attacked, the brothers claim they showed up at the scene but were extremely nervous because, just as they played out the scene, a car drove by and they were worried they’d be ID’d.
Once again, it’s important to note that police have not confirmed these reports. Police have said, however, that they want to question Smollett again but, so far, he has refused to sit down with them.
On Sunday, his attorney issued a statement, saying:
We are not going to respond to every new, anonymous accusation or rumor. Jussie Smollett’s lawyers are in contact with the Chicago Police Department. Jussie will continue to cooperate with the investigation in an appropriate and respectful manner that does not include talking to media at this time.
According to TMZ, Smollett’s scenes in upcoming episodes of Empire have been cut.
Related: Jussie Smollett’s horrific attack isn’t just another hate crime and here’s why
iamru2
So does this mean that those who called the people who questioned his story racists will now apologize? Waiting!
Aires the Ram
Don’t hold your breath! This was a media extravaganza orchestrated by Smollette and the media to get footage of two MAGA hatted individuals beating up a black gay man. Didn’t have the proper camera angles, they didn’t think that the Chicago police might look askance at it and start investigating, and therefore we’re NOT seeing loop after loop on mainstream media of two MAGA hatted individuals beating up a gay black man. They’re so desperate to portray Trump supporters as racists-bigots-homophobes-whatever, that they’ll resort to tactics like this. The media is DISPPOINTED that this didn’t work out.
Brian
If Trump supporters are as bad as the media portrays them to be, why aren’t they’re already hundreds of legitimate videos like this floating around? Why do they need to keep falsifying stuff to make them look bad?
Bob LaBlah
From the article: “Once again, it’s important to note that police have not confirmed these reports.”
Dear Queerty, I find it a little hard to believe that were that true the CPD would not be leaking their progress on the case to the press. Its obvious the brothers are cooperating and this mediocre singer and actor will soon be on his way to jail. AL Sharpton has decided to put him complicity in the Tawana Brawley mentira on the back burner and has said Smollett should be held FULLY accountable. If that aint the pot calling the kettle black please tell what is.
Onecaddy13
I just can’t with this. WHY?? Why would anybody do this? THE LGBTQ and people of color have suffered for too long. You have a giant platform with your show and being well known. This is a disgusting cowardly act. If true, you need to be severely punished with jail time. Reimburse the city for all manpower that came out to your aid, as well as all the authorities time spent on this hoax. You should also do the media rounds, but this time tell the American people why you did this. call out all the persons that hep you concoct this halacious act. You are a despicable person Mr. Smollett.
Rock-N-RollHS
If you have been following the story: it’s because he got a racist letter with white powder (crushed aspirin, it turns out) and his bosses didn’t take it as seriously as he would have liked. So. . .he took it to the next level. Dude is like so many hollywood narcissists that use liberal politics for their own purposes. He should have just gone public with the letter, but I guess he thought it would be making his bosses look bad and jeopardize his contract/job.
How JS thought he’d get away with such a ploy in this technological age is incredible. Guy is not too bright.
Bob LaBlah
The police seized magazines with pages and words cut out. That puts an end to the mystery of where the letter originated from in their minds and mine. But of course that too could be a weird coincidence to some. Sigh.
CobraPowers
Because America is so great that certain groups of people have to manufacture hoaxes (FAKE NEWS) in order to keep feeding misery to their base supporters, as only with lies and fear they can keep “the minorities” in line. As a GAY, LATINO, IMMIGRANT I feel disgusted that those people see us not as humans but as a demographic.
MarathonBoy
*LGB
jdr11201
Poor jussie,
Those are the actions of an insecure man who will stop at nothing to have his name across the sky. Poor, poor man down goes the rising star. :/
GayEGO
This is not about gender attraction, this sounds political, may we have the truth please!
Brian
We already have the truth, the police department has been leaking information left and right. It will be officially confirmed soon enough.
Kangol
Oh well, a tragic situation all around. He clearly needs some counseling, ASAP, because given his level of success and fame, he clearly cannot deal with it and had a major breakdown. I hope he gets it. I also guess endless Instagram affirmation and being an out gay icon wasn’t enough. My question is, why go this route when it was sure to be discovered given all the slip-ups? The sexy Nigerian American brothers don’t throw away any of the stuff (the bleach, the magazines, the caps from Uptown) they used and use rideshare to get home? Jussie picks the one spot where the camera is turned away yet leads the cops right to that spot and assures them it’s on tape? And why bring the MAGA fanatics into it on top of everything else? Unfortunately he may be spending some time in prison to sing for his supper and sort this mess all out.
iamru2
Nah he is just a narcissist and a thug.
justyouandi
Brian, you sound like you’re my kinda guy! You’ve nailed it!
But please tell me that pic is not you, ….. cause that could be a deal breaker.
Doug
So I still don’t get it. What was Smollett’s motive in doing this? Publicity? Early reports said he was afraid his character was being written off “Empire…” how would being mugged have changed that?
theafricanwiththemouth
Man, this is seriously disappointing to read.
Been following this story on queerty and never commented on it, but now i just gotta note how interesting it is that very few commenters (like *Brian) were on the mark right from the start and got labeled all sorts of things by others.
See, there’s nothing wrong with being critical about cases like this. No matter how close to home things hit, always approach matters with some questions at the back of your mind not full on “blind support”.
I on the other hand was on the fence right from the start, and i gotta say, I’m sad to see what side of the fence this case is falling to.
I like (liked) Jussie, but this incident paints him as a variety of persons and neither of them is good. If the final reports come out and it’s all a hoax, then he deserves what ever is legally coming his way.
MrKnowItAll
The best advice I ever received from a college professor. “In Life, Be Skeptical”. He was spot on. In all things. Be skeptical.
armandov
This whole story is bizarre and sadly, it will make people ignore the legitimate assaults that happen to gay and black folks all the time simply b/c they are who they are. It makes both communities look bad. Nevertheless, these types of attacks do happen all the time and many go unreported.
MarathonBoy
How many go unreported? And if they are unreported, how did you determine that they are many in number?
Morrisson
The original article titled ‘Of course conservatives are calling Jussie Smollett a liar and his attempted lynching #fakenews was peppered with assumptions and hearsay and featured such classic lines as ‘Well, that didn’t take long. Right wing nuts are already finding ways to discredit yesterday’s racist and homophobic attack against Jussie Smollett’. An article written through the prism of motivated reasoning and cognitive dissonance: with a nature so hyperbolic only aging female celebrities, first term congress woman from New York and those lacking complex cognitive behavioural skills could believe it.
Now suddenly a new article cautions us not once but twice that the reports are unconfirmed hmmmm i think the horse has already bolted. This article should contain an apology or retraction of the original and a demonstration of how reporting a false hate crime will effect the right of real.
victims to be listened to in the future. As for the letter a I can only assume it was step one of an idiotic plan that has now escalated far too quickly.