Two Nigerian brothers have been arrested in connection to the attack on Jussie Smollett, Chicago police confirmed Friday.
In an earlier statement, police said they had “probable cause” that the two men may have been involved.
On January 29, the “Empire” star says he was attacked by men who hurled racist and antigay slurs at him, shouted, “This is MAGA country!”, poured an unknown substance, possibly bleach, on him, and put a noose around his neck.
The two men are being represented by attorney Gloria Schmidt, who told CBS News:
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“They are baffled about why they are people of interest. It’s an awful thing that happened to Jussie, but it’s not my guys.”
She said that the men, who have not yet been publicly identified, worked on the set of Smollett’s Fox TV show “Empire” and even worked out with him at the gym.
“This is someone that they know, this is someone that they’ve worked with,” she added. “So they don’t want to see somebody go through that.”
The news comes after two Chicago news affiliates for ABC and CBS reported Thursday that police were investigating whether the men helped Smollett fake the attack, citing as a motive that he was being written off the hit show.
Related: 6 powerful takes on the attack on Jussie Smollett
Those reports were quickly shot down by Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
“Media reports anout [sic] the Empire incident being a hoax are unconfirmed by case detectives,” Guglielmi tweeted. “Supt Eddie Johnson has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate.”
For what it’s worth (and it’s worth quite a lot in our view), 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment strongly denied there were plans to write off Smollett’s character, the out musician “Jamal Lyon,” drawing into further question the legitimacy of the two news reports.
“The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous,” the network’s statement said. “He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”
According to CBS News, the brothers left for Nigeria the same day as the attack and were detained upon their return by police at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago Wednesday.
A police raid at the brothers’ Chicago home uncovered bleach, a “black facemask hat,” a red hat, an “Empire” script, and other items.
In his first interview since the attack, the 36-year-old actor told ABC’s Robin Roberts:
“At first it was the thing of like, listen, if I tell the truth then that’s it because it’s the truth. Then it became a thing of, like, how can you doubt that? How can you not believe that? It’s the truth.”
Watch the first interview below:
dannyboi2
Sounds suspect so I’ll wait until all the facts are in.
EricGMenkes
Jussie just cracked! He admitted to having had set up the entire attack! He’s going to jail for a long time. Having his hole filled with a never-ending supply of dick will now be something that will happen every day for the rest of his life. Not that he had a problem with getting dick; it’s just that prison is a wonderful place for a lazy gay.
spiralx
Troll alert: see other reply.
Bob LaBlah
Oh my god. I prayed that I was going to be proven wrong. I am now afraid, very afraid, what the next headline is going to be involving Smollett. I’ll just say I HOPE the caption under his picture will read Smollet has been arrested and charged with a hoax and not what I sure as hell do fear its going to be (a picture of a stretcher with a body under a white sheet being wheeled out of his building).
paul dorian lord fredine
what the hell are you talking about? should change your name to ‘lablahblahblah’ the way you insufferably babble on and on. next time, smoke whatever after you post. you might make more sense.
Bob LaBlah
@Paul Dorian Lord Fredine………..girl, with all of those names its no wonder you are confused or just too stupid to see the cliff/window ledge that Jussie is now standing on. But hey, if trying to insult me makes your day what else is there to say?
Juanjo
Honey, you are just grasping at straws, You have done nothing but scream fake since the story was first released, all based on your claim that he was being written out of the show. Of course, now that little myth has been refuted and someone has been arrested. You are a pathetic little thing.
brooklynbobby
I so rarely read the comments here because of people like you and specifically you. WTF are you always going on about? What an obvious troll. I hate to repeat a tired old trope but get a life man. Put down the KFC bucket of extra crispy, leave mom’s basement and try and find something meaningful to do with your life. Hell if you lose some of that lard I’m sure you’re swimming in you might even be able to find your dick and figure out what to do with it. DAYUM son!
Bob LaBlah
Juanjo…….”You are a pathetic little thing.”
How sweet of you to notice. Now share with us your best quality. It clearly isn’t your intellect nor writing skills.
Brian
Juanjo, you really think this arrest is proof that Jussie was telling the truth? That these 2 Nigerian men are the white guys that Jussie claimed attacked him while shouting about MAGA? Wow.
To get you up to speed, this battery arrest is the first step. Since the police don’t have definitive evidence yet, they charged them based on Jussie’s story. Now that they’re in custody, how long do you think it’s going to take them to spill their guts to the cops? Here’s a hint, it’s probably already happened. They are not going to take the fall for him and took the dice on a hate crime charge.
Bob LaBlah
@Brooklynbobby…………..I’m sure life in that SRO your living in is rough and has made you bitter against the city and country that houses you but let me tell you this: in America, we are all entitled to our opinions and entitled to express our opinions regardless of how painful it is to those (such as yourself) who refuse to see reality for what it is. No, the “Mr. White Man did this to me” defense will not work because it has come completely apart all caused by reexamining the chain of events as dictated by the “victim”. Get over it. Jussie is a liar and now a possible suicide case. The show Empire is now history. Who will watch it now knowing the gay character is a liar and fabricated a hoax with obvious racial overtones? Oh wait, you will, won’t you?
Wicked Dickie
All I’m saying is Queerty has shown victims of hate crimes with injuries that were definitely inflicted by someone with hate in their heart. Jussie’s “injury” from the screenshot that the predator Lee Daniels released looked like what happens when you trip over a shoe, and fall against a table. That scratch was not pronounced. There’s no rope mark on his neck, no black eye.
darkanser
This story is getting stranger by the moment, indeed.
paul dorian lord fredine
not in this pic but check the other crime photos taken by cpd. one shows an obvious rope burn. and he doesn’t have to look like he went through a meat grinder to justify saying he was beaten. no black eye? check his left eye, obvious darkened and swollen. you’re an idiot.
Bob LaBlah
Paul, its sounding like you have been this type of “victim” before. Your insufferable defense of him suggests it.
EricGMenkes
Most people don’t believe him. He has done a poor job at selling his story. He wants to a be a martyr a poster boy a hero. Now, his career will stall and his only hope will be a PornHub residency.
brooklynbobby
Have you ever been the victim of a brutal hate crime? I have several times. I was smashed in the face with a broken 2×4 while I was just walking down the street. I had to pick myself up off the pavement that’s how hard I was hit but I only had 2 little scratches across my nose and cheek from where he hit me. Other times there were black eyes, bruises and bloody cuts. Don’t generalize
Bob LaBlah
@EricGMenkes…….this lie he told notwithstanding he might get a job at Sean Cody or Raw Twinks introducing the scenes. Snoop Dogg, Ice-T and Lady Bunny have had none sexual roles in hard core porn movies. Bunny even won an award for best non-performing (thank god) star in a porn film.
Bob LaBlah
Brooklynbobby go on, don’t stop. Tell us why your attacker chose little ol’ you to attack out of the clear blue sky causing you to break your six inch heel as you tried to run away in high heels. Why didn’t you swing your purse at him? Was he tall? Was he short? Did you cut him short on “services” rendered and he got mad and decided you were going to “give” him more whether you like it or not? Did he live in the same SRO or one nearby?
iamru2
So what is their motive?
edwardnvirginia
Perhaps ‘their motive’ is that Smollet asked them to do.
EricGMenkes
He wanted the attention. He’s sick.
eidolonnyc
The thinking is that the “crime” they are accused of participating in is working with Smollett to fabricate this story. He originally said the attackers were white. Lots of things don’t add up. I, too, like Jussie and hope this does not end up as a hoax.
brooklynbobby
Did you miss the part where they wore ski masks? And did you see the recovered surveillance photo the cops produced and the 2 guys definitely look black? Why are people so quick to jump on the hoax bandwagon?
TommyIL
I don’t recall Smollett saying the attackers were white. I do recall him saying it happened in like 30 seconds. It might have been hard to tell what race his attackers were, especially if they were in masks and only shouting at him. And even if he did make an incorrect guess, how many times have we seen people convicted of a crime they didn’t commit because they fit a race claimed by a victim…Let’s let the police do their job and make judgments after we know all the facts and circumstances.
justyouandi
No one has more credibility than one who claims to be a victim. The whole world stops to make right for him who was wronged. The victim, then, is forever remembered and pitied and is given a pass for any deficiencies in his talent, skills, and even his character. Because, after all, he was once hurt by bad people!
brooklynbobby
WTF does that even mean?
EricGMenkes
He’s lying. The tears were a nice touch though.
Bob LaBlah
An actor is trained to cry on que.
iamru2
Crocodile tears!
Dnooage
All of the White gays hoping it’s a hoax are White first. Gay second. Why I ID as Queer instead of Gay.
brooklynbobby
Bingo!
brooklynbobby
Band there you have it! Queer here also. I really don’t like gay people. Too catty. ?
Vince
@brooklynbobby. You’ve been busy attacking people from the get go and finally accuse everyone of being catty. Pot calling the kettle black. Lol
Bob LaBlah
Vince, have you noticed anything particularly odd about the names of the majority of these commenters?
Bubbleandsqueal
Jussie got attacked by White Nigerians who love Trump, and who just visited Home Depot! Das de troof.
Kangol
Can it with the racism, creep! Seriously.
DC_FamilyMan
Those of you just hating on this guy without any facts that he’s faking it are pathetic… let the police do their work and go back to watching your soap operas please.
Brian
Those of you still defending him are the pathetic ones sweetie. Stop acting like such a chump.
EricGMenkes
He’s lying. Sorry that you spend your days justifying moronic actors who need attention so badly that they set up a fake hate crime. SAD!
Bob LaBlah
Honey, not only have the police done their work it is also clear they are the ones who leaked that story to the media about his facing charges if this is proven to be a hoax, which they felt it was all along. Personally I think they are working more to prove that than they were looking for two racist attackers who they knew didnt exist.
PinkoOfTheGange
DC didn’t defend anything but the CJ system.
IAMBROWN
I stand with Jussie. But I am hoping this doesn’t turn out to be another Tawana Brawley-like hoax (circa 1987). Waiting for all the facts.
Bob LaBlah
I wouldn’t be shocked if ol’ Al and Jessie stayed out of this one.
Brian
OBVIOUSLY IT IS.
Jeez, are you really this incapable of making your own conclusions?
Brian
I love that Queerty calls these developments shocking, as if their comment section has been filled, for the last two weeks, of the myriad of reasons why it was obvious Jussie was lying.
PinkoOfTheGange
Honey simmer down. Wait for the arrest, if it comes.
Then you can dance on his grave.
Some here are just asking for not rushing to judgment, and not defending any person.
Brian
Oh please. You have been doing all sorts of mental gymnastics to find ridiculous theories to defend him. As usual, the simple, logical explanation was the correct one.
EricGMenkes
He’s sexy though.
iamru2
Blech I wish he were hot that would make reading about this story more bearable. As it is I have to see his nasty mug every time a new update comes out. Are those walnuts he’s storing in his cheeks?
stephen_25
I really hope it wasn’t a fake attack. It will destroy all credibility for him as an actor. Damage the lgbtq… movement and only give Donald trump more excuses to spread hate and persecute minorities more.
Kangol
Whatever the outcome, the chief effects will be on Jussie Smollett. There are more than enough attacks on LGBTQ people every year to more than underscore they aren’t fake or hoaxes, and Donald Trump and his allies, including the gay ones, don’t need any extra help being homophobic, promoting homophobes and anti-gay legislation, or being racist, as the lazy traitor-in-chief demonstrated yet again this morning in his “national emergency” declaration.
MarathonBoy
*LGB
stub27
I am disappointed with most of these comments. It sounds like half of you are judging him because he is a black gay man. How can you judge and please enjoy your white privileg you idiots
Brian
That is the dumbest thing I’ve seen yet. Nobody is judging him because he’s black and gay and we’re white privileged. You are just spewing the talking points you think you’re supposed to. Try to learn some reading comprehension and critical thinking skills please.
Kieran
I dread he’s going to be known as Tawana Smollett from now on. I hope I’m wrong.
DuMaurier
I am honestly withholding judgment, especially since everything is changing and updating so fast now, but I will say flatly that if the guys they arrested are the one who attacked Smollett, they are like the lamest white supremacists I have EVER seen.
Brian
I want to hear them yell “This is MAGA country!” with their Nigerian accents.
Prax07
They’re from Nigeria, that alone says Guilty.
theafricanwiththemouth
Idiot.
Geeker
There are some truly hateful dicks on this site.
JessPH
If he is merely crying wolf then he should be prosecuted for making this hoax. This whole thing hurts the credibility of real victims of anti-gay and racist violence.
Scout
The latest news is that the 2 Nigerians who worked on the “Empire” set have been released by the police and are no longer suspects to this “crime.”
Brian
Well yeah, they served their purpose and confessed to Jussie orchestrating the whole thing. No need to hold them anymore.
Paulie P
13 days later he turns over his redacted phone records cause he has”high profile” friends and private pictures and videos…
translation…. he has dick and pics and anal vid’s and is embarrassed to share…
the two suspects related… they are black and not white as he said.
batesmotel
Everyone is now saying he made it up, which if that’s true, he just killed any promise of a reverse election next year. When one side goes to this extreme people start to move over to the other side.
Brian
Between this and AOC, Trump is all but guaranteed a second term.
Blackceo
@Brian Slow down. We are an ADD society. This Jussie Smollett story will be forgotten soon enough just like half of the things Trump has done and when I’m reminded I find myself saying “Oh yeah I had completely forgotten about that dumb sh*t”. Its the current news cycle. By the time the debates start, this will be another blip on the radar.
Terrycloth
The first crime was naming him jussie…this story is like swiss cheese so full of holes..too much of it just dosent add up or make sense..i say its BS…im waiting for the teary eued im sorry apologies any day now
Vince
I know. My voice translator keeps wanting to say Juicy. It’s aggravating.
Brian
I predict he’ll put himself in rehab by the end of the week and blame it all on some sort of addiction.
Blackceo
The fact that Jussie has hired a high powered defense attorney only adds to the belief that this was all staged. Why do you need a criminal defense attorney? SMH
GayEGO
Why would Jussie waste his time, self injuring himself? He wouldn’t!
I believe Jussie and the police over the suspect’s lawyer.
DuMaurier
For one, they aren’t suspects anymore–as per the police; who are also saying the info they got from the two guys “could change the story entirely” and alters the “trajectory” of the investigation. Which is slightly cryptic, but only slightly.
am
Rumor is he was written off “Empire”, so to prevent it he staged an attack. No one will fire someone who is a victim of homophobes especially in current climate.
It is of course a weird conspiracy theory, which is really hard to believe…
ingyaom
Looks like it’s all over now…
Rock-N-RollHS
Still going with the MAGA hat thing, queerty. Stop perpetuating fake news. Report the facts. Why would Nigerians have MAGA hats. Kanye fans, perhaps?
Terrycloth
CNN just reported jussie orchestrated the attack..paid 2 people…more to come
truthseeker
Even liberal anti-Trump CNN is reporting that Jussie paid these two Nigerian men to fake the entire thing to gain publicity
Police found a receipt for the rope and confirm the two Nigerian friends of Jussie bought the rope but “new evidence” came up after they were questioned by police which means they took a plea deal
Jussie is going to be facing jail time because in his state, filing a false police report is a felony. Jussie even hired a defense attorney that helped Michael Cohen (so much for being afraid of MAGA). I look forward to seeing the mental gymnastics Queerty does to spin this in the coming days
Brian
Even today they are still calling it an attack. I guess their not calling it a “racist and homophobic attack” or “attempted lynching” like they’ve incessantly been doing is their idea of stepping back?
I would love to be a fly on the wall at their next editorial meeting.
justsimple
This is why Trump won.
They will do anything to blame white men and especially Trump supporters
News media was so excited for the story. Now they are foolish
Chevelter
Victimhood is a quick route to social media celebrity.
Scout
Smollett used his race, orientation, and a very cautious police force in a liberal city with a large black population and a strong anti-Trump bias. All the political correctness he needed to pull this off was in his corner. Why he did it is another question, but the facts of the case have had so many holes since the start. If he’d been a straight caucasian who was a Trump supporter, he’d already have been accused of this hoax.
Donston
Hollywood is full of stunts, manipulation and fakeness. But faking a hate crime is a new low, even for Hollywood. However, the details just don’t seem like a hate crime. It just doesn’t. It was too elaborate and came off as too much like a purposeful attack. They also didn’t hurt him much at all. If he didn’t have anything to do with it then it seems more likely that someone with a personal grudge against him planned it rather than it being a hate crime.
Going to this extreme for sympathy, attention and to keep your job is just… extreme and hard to believe. But ultimately, I’ve learned not to trust anything that goes on in Hollywood. And this dude has always rubbed me the wrong way. If he did this it was an incredibly selfish move and generally damaging. Now, folks will feel that they dismiss genuine hate crimes that happen everyday, and you just gave “credence” to all the Trump supporters. There’s already a couple of hateful trolls doing their thing with multiple screen names.
MuslimSlutBox
This guy is cute AF. I’d love to get in there and find out for myself what’s going on. Lustful thoughts aside, I agree that one of the outcomes of this is gonna be more Trump voters. Along with AOC screwing NYC out of 25K jobs the backlash is going to be audible. Jussie just threw away his career. Nobody wants to be associated with a racist and he will be dropped like the hot mess that he has proved himself to be. Sad really.
Kieran
This is what Trump derangement syndrome leads to. Crazy, childish, moronic behavior that destroys the life of the person who engages in it. Did Smollett really believe his allegation of a racist attack by white men wouldn’t lead to a major police investigation in this country?
Terrycloth
Hes an actor in Hollywerid…you mean to tell me he could find a writer to come up with a better attack story than this BS one from the start ?? Now his lawyers are doing backflips to save his career and keep his butt from going to jail
Vince
Will now join the Tawana Bawley fake assault allegations infamy. Also to be made Wikipedia famous. This crap will follow him to the grave.
Donston
That’s part of the reason why I still want to believe he wasn’t involved. The incident was just so bizarre and the details would immediately seem suspect to people. Instead of just coming off like a random, hateful attack, it came off as something much more odd right from the beginning. If he did orchestrate this himself he did piss poor job fleshing out the story. Then again, it’s not like working on a show like Empire would have given him more realistic ideas.
truthseeker
Big question here. Why did Queerty remove this story from the homepage? It used to be right after the smoking drag queen picture in the feed. Now it is only found in the ‘Life’ section but not anywhere in the main news feed. Why is this? Why does Queerty want to scrub this story away?
Bob LaBlah
TMZ has reported that the grand jury will get this case next week. From what that TMZ quotes in their report is disturbing. He was told two men had been arrested and if he wanted to press charges. He says yes but once they told him who they were he refused to press charges. The two guys are no doubt cooperating and TMZ is quoting “sources” as saying magazines with pages cut out were seized in the raid. The police took him back down to the site where he claims he was attacked and thought it a bit odd that he happen to point out the only camera on the block (pointed away from the incident) without being told it was there. Robin Roberts facial expression and body language all indicated she did not believe him during their interview.
truthseeker
@BobLaBlah
The Daily Mail is reporting most of the same but with additional info. They are stating that sources within the police department are saying Jussie paid each man $3500 and the promise of an additional $500 after they returned from Nigeria
It is alleged that he gave the brothers money to buy rope and 2 plain red hats from a store to wear for the “attack” and that they sketched out the details previously days before the event.
Police seized their phones as well. They must’ve snitched on Jussie and gave evidence if police let them go. It’s reported by other news outlets that when Jussie submitted redacted phone records, the censored numbers were the numbers of the Nigerian twins which Jussie didn’t want police to see. In my opinion, I predict Jussie will be charged in the coming days
Bob LaBlah
Wow! You weren’t kidding. That was some detail. lol It would not shock me to learn he has a documented trail of lying on people and always claiming to be a victim. I wish I could have been there to see the look on his face when they told him who those guys were.
Vince
My biggest takeaway with all this was that he was perfectly fine throwing these guys under the bus when he thought they were someone else. That is a douchebag move.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
First of all Queerty this thread is like two days stale…
And a HUGE FU to Jesse Smollet for what turns out to be a huge scam. His BS “attack” has given the right wing smcubag nutbag yet more excuses to attack and cast hate upon our community. .
linx1240
If this is true and I assure it may very well be, it makes me sick and disgusted. Just what the Republiclowns and crazy Christian Fanatics want to hear. He should be ashamed of himself for doing this to the LGBTQ Community and all we have and will continue to fight for!!!
Bob LaBlah
Al Sharpton has said if found guilty Smollett should be prosecuted. Yes, THAT Al Sharpton.
CobraPowers
Now we know he lied about the whole thing, and I’m disappointed and disgusted he would fake a hate crime, pushing lies to try to divide and promote hate in this country. Also disgusted at the people who refused to see the obvious holes in his story and just ran with it so they themselves could push hatred and division.
Brian
It’s remarkable how quiet Queerty has gotten about this story now that the truth has come out. Maybe they think if they just pretend it never happened, we’ll forget about all of their dramatics and horrible, false reporting.
truthseeker
@Brian
If you want to have a laugh, click on the past Jussie stories and see how Queerty says if you doubt his story then you’re a far-right wing, racist, conspiracy theorist who is anti-LGBT
Then scroll the to the comments and laugh some more. Anytime someone like you, me, or others brought up real questions that exposed this story from day one as phony, we were painted as racist, dumb, nazis, Russian bots, trolls, etc.
People need to utilize critical thinking again. Being that it was a fake story against Trump supporters, drones were drinking too much Koolaid to take a step back and say that those events are too far fetched. It’s crazy that 4 major news stories of 2019 have all been based around fake news and this is only February.
Bob LaBlah
@truthseeker and Brian
It seems like only yesterday when there were many of us who were calling out Caitlin Jenner as in what she was deep down and what her true motivation was in telling the world she was trans. Half of the commenters wanted our heads on a platter. Yes, some of us figured out that she was testing the waters for a reality showing, clothing line and the whole shabang and once she had all of her deals signed she would come out. I laughed when she backed Trump and GOP causes and went out of her way to not attend events aimed at helping trans people who were not in her class. We tried to tell them but no one would listen to reason. I wonder what they think now. The same applies here in the Smollett case. Sigh.
Onecaddy13
I stated I would wait until the facts were in and not rush to judgement as all the celebrities, politicians did regarding the alleged attack on Jussie. After CPD stated Jussie was no longer a victim, my hunches were right. I know Chicago pretty well and I stated before, the majority of the state is Democrat. In fact, 88% is democratic and that percentage did not vote for Trump. How could a very well known, great actor on a hit show, stoop so low as to make up a crime? He’s race baiting, and to knowingly do this in such a divided country, plus pit everyone against others is shameful. I believe he should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and reimburse the Chicago, police, first responders, hospital. dr’s, nurses and everyone that was involved to help this man when they thought he was attacked. Jussie should go on National TV and apologize to the American public and explain why he did this abhorrent and disgusting hoax. I’m now boycotting Empire, and think he shhould be fired immediately. How does he explain this to the gay community, people of color, and especially his family. Truly, Truly DISGUSTING!!!!