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American actor-singer Jussie Smollett, who originally rose to prominence for his role on Empire, where he played Jamal Lyon, became a lightning rod for controversy in 2019, when he was accused of faking a hate crime attack on himself.
Given his status as a black and gay actor, the alleged assault, which Smollett reported on January 29, 2019, resulted in an outpouring of sympathy towards him, with Empire producers Fox Entertainment releasing a statement that read (per Variety):
“We send our love to Jussie, who is resilient and strong, and we will work with law enforcement to bring these perpetrators to justice. The entire studio, network, and production stands united in the face of any despicable act of violence and hate — and especially against one of our own.”
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However, this support quickly turned sour when the Chicago police subsequently accused Smollett of fabricating the entire incident. With a controversial Netflix documentary about Jussie Smollett’s exploits being released, it’s worth looking back at the actor.
Jussie Smollett Early Life & Career
Smollett was born in Santa Rosa, California, on June 21, 1982, and grew up alongside three brothers and two sisters. He graduated from Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey, and reportedly came out to his parents when he was 19. Smollett began his career as a child model in New York City before working as an extra on movies like Mo’ Better Blues (1990) and New Jack City (1991).
He went on to appear in films like The Mighty Ducks (1992) and North (1994) before taking part in the ABC sitcom On Our Own, where he starred alongside his five siblings. Smollett played the lead role in the 2012 LGBT-themed comedy-drama The Skinny. He also
released an EP titled The Poisoned Hearts Club that same year. The actor guest-starred on The Mindy Project (2012) and Revenge (2014) before his breakthrough with Empire.
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Jussie Smollett Was Accused Of Faking A Hate Crime
Jussie Smollett was arrested by the Chicago police and criminally charged by a grand jury on February 20, 2019. He was accused of filing a false police report and fabricating the hate crime that he claimed to have been subjected to. The police claimed that Jussie Smollett’s story began to fall apart as they looked into it.
When the two people who allegedly assaulted Jussie were tracked down, the police revealed that they were in fact two Nigerian-Americans named Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who Jussie had met while working on Empire. The police alleged that Smollett had paid the brothers to stage an assault on him.
Among the evidence the police gathered to make their case upon raiding the Osundario Brothers’ home was camera footage that showed them buying the equipment they used for staging the assault, as well as the fact that Smollett had paid the brothers $3,500 for the whole affair.
Smollett’s reputation in the public eye quickly collapsed after the accusations of him faking the hate crime began to spread. However, Smollett never publicly admitted to any wrongdoing and continues to insist that he really was attacked.
Jussie Smollett has been formally arrested and booked this morning in Chicago. So now are all these suspected white supremacists who file false reports against innocent Black people on a regular basis going to be arrested and charged too? pic.twitter.com/iV5LKLaom4
— Tariq Nasheed 🇺🇸 (@tariqnasheed) February 21, 2019
Jussie Smollett Documentary Gets Divisive Reaction
Netflix’s The Truth About Jussie Smollett has received a divisive response from fans and critics for relitigating a case many believe is settled. According to Decider, most controversially, the documentary features commentary from journalists and Smollett’s supporters, such as Chelli Stanley, who claims that security guard Anthony Moore actually saw a white man fleeing the scene, and accused Chicago police of pressuring him to state that the man he saw may have been black.
In response to this, The Guardian’s Hannah J Davies called the documentary “bold, shocking…and utter nonsense.” The Truth About Jussie Smollett is currently streaming on Netflix.
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