Chicago police this week released their investigative files and videos from the alleged staged hate crime on “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett.
And while there are certainly bigger things going on in the world than holding a microscope to this embarrassing ordeal, Smollett made us all a part of it by taking his allegedly untrue account so very public. These videos do absolutely nothing to support his maintained stance of total innocence.
Included in the nearly 70 hours of video is the police bodycam footage of officers entering Smollett’s apartment after he reported the attack. Smollett greets them with the infamous noose around his neck and says he’s covered in bleach.
“He doesn’t want this to be a big deal, you understand what I’m saying,” Smollett’s manager is heard saying in the video. “The thing that makes me emotional is they put this makeshift loop, what do you call that thing, a noose around his (expletive) neck. I’m sorry, you know. And that is what bothers me, the cut thing doesn’t bother me at all. If that makes any sense.”
When a police officer asks him if he’d like to take the noose off, Smollet says yes, that he only kept it on so the officers could see it. Then he asks that the body cams be shut off. The officers oblige.
Smollett’s story is that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime that took place late at night on January 29. He said two men approached him yelling slurs, doused him in liquid chemicals, and placed a noose on him.
The investigation took a bizarre turn when it came out that Smollett was suspected of staging the event with the help of the Osundairo brothers, who Smollett knew.
In another video that was just released, the Osundairo brothers appear to be wearing hazmat suits in the back of a cab as it drives to the attack site. One brother tightens the hood around his face. They exit the taxi and another surveillance camera captures them walking down the street to the site of the alleged attack.
Smollett was eventually charged with one count of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. 16 counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report were later handed down by a grand jury.
In February, all charges were dropped. The county’s inspector general is now looking into that decision.
In the most recent update, a special prosecutor will be appointed soon to investigate why Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx dropped the case and whether new charges against Smollet should be brought.
poundmetoo
His ignorance is truly astounding!
Vince
Is there even anyone left that’s still buying his load of crap?
Brian
Mrjett still defends him in every article, I’m sure he’ll be along shortly.
jcoberkrom
If someone had place a noose around my neck one of the first things I would have done after escaping would be to remove the noose.
Vince
Especially since you never wanted the police involved in the first place. The manager was the one who called the police.
Derplexic
Is there anyone that still believes this crap? Yes apparently Jussie still believes it. SMH
Gay Veteran
Leave Jussie alone!!! Him being gay and black makes him enemy no 1 apparently.
Jared MacBride
No, Jussie being a liar who faked an attack on himself and did immeasurable harm to people who really are victims of hate crimes makes him a jerk. Being gay, if he is, and black is totally irrelevant.
Brian
You know damn well that this isn’t about him being gay or black.
Gay Veteran
@Jared “immeasurable harm”? Black gay men are in the same position they’ve been in, susceptible to hate crimes and not receiving justice for that hate crime. And if he’s gay? Do some research.
@Brian troll go away.
BUMC Member
Mostly it shows what a bad actor Jussie Smollett is.
Heywood Jablowme
I hope this case is still in the news in October. Would make a great, tasteless Halloween costume!
Kieran
It’s amazing he thought he could actually get away with this “I’m a victim of white racism” scam. He obviously believed nobody would dare question him if he said he was attacked by White Trump supporters. And if they did he figured all he had to do was claim “racism”. Jussie clearly has lived an overly privileged life. Time for a dose of reality.
Doug
I don’t get it… the headline reads “damning new footage of Jussie Smollett” and then they’ve blurred his face out?
Jared MacBride
The police did the blurring. Standard procedure when interviewing an alleged “victim.”
Cam
Aside from this story’s idiocy..
They need to have a policy as to when and why officers can turn off their body cameras. Maybe even make it a situation where they always need to phone in for permission to do that.
magicmike
Kim Foxx had the nerve to walk in the pride parade in Chicago after all of this!!! Corrupt!!