Actor Jussie Smollett is still rejecting claims by Chicago police officials that his alleged hate crime was a “hoax.”
In the Netflix documentary “The Truth About Jussie Smollett?” the “Empire” star talks about the legal case regarding the incident he allegedly staged, according to NBC News.
NewsNation examines Smollett case
NewsNation learned never-before-heard details of how the investigation turned from looking at Smollett as a victim to looking at him as a suspect.
In 2019, Smollett claimed he was a victim of a reported racist and anti-gay attack outside his Chicago apartment. As police investigated the incident, the actor turned from victim to the prime suspect in a criminal probe.
Smollett claimed two men attacked him, putting a noose around his neck and dousing him with bleach. The Chicago Police Department treated it as a possible hate crime, assigning dozens of detectives to the case.
“If you’re two guys who decide, OK, I’m going to beat up a Black guy, and you’re going to have a piece of rope with me to tie a noose around his neck, you’re probably not going to do that in downtown Chicago, steps away from Michigan Avenue,” NewsNation affiliate WGN investigative reporter Ben Bradley said during a “NewsNation Jussie Smollett Scandal” special report that aired in July.
Police eventually said Smollett hired brothers Ola and Abimbola Osundairo to help him stage the attack.
Jussie Smollett maintains innocence
In the documentary, Smollett defends himself and reiterates his innocence, according to NBC.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether someone likes me or doesn’t like me,” the actor said in the documentary. “The fact is: I didn’t do that. And that’s all that matters.”
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FILE – Actor Jussie Smollett, center, leaves the Leighton Criminal Courthouse with unidentified siblings, Thursday, Dec. 9, 2021, in Chicago, following a verdict in his trial. Smollett, who was found guilty last month of lying to police about a hate crime that authorities said he staged, will return to court for sentencing on March 10, a judge announced on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2022 (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File) -
Jussie Smollett’s lead defense attorney Nenye Uche speaks to reporters during a news conference Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024, In Chicago, after the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett’s conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying to Chicago police. (Ashlee Rezin/Chicago Sun-Times via AP) -
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 15: Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson attends a police academy graduation and promotion ceremony in the Grand Ballroom at Navy Pier on June 15, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. Several civil rights organizations have filed a federal lawsuit against the city of Chicago seeking federal oversight of changes in the Chicago Police Department following repeated accusations of civil rights violations by officers in the department. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Smollett was convicted of five counts of felony disturbing the peace in 2022. He was ordered to spend 150 days in jail and to pay $120,000 to the city of Chicago.
In 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction, finding that the agreement Smollett reached with then-Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx’s office should have prevented a special prosecutor from reopening the case.
The “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” star settled with the city of Chicago in May.
