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Despite police evidence and contradictory statements from those involved in the 2019 alleged hate crime, Jussie Smollett has never backed down from his version of events.
During an interview with Variety to promote the release of a new Netflix documentary, The Truth About Jussie Smollett? set to be released Aug. 22, Smollett doubled down on his claims that he was physically attacked during a hate crime.
“The villains are the two people who assaulted me, the Chicago Police Department and, if I may be so brave, the mayor,” Smollett said, referencing former mayor Rahm Emanuel.
Smollett claims that the city conspired to frame him to possibly cover up the mishandling of the Laquan McDonald shooting. McDonald’s shooting drew national attention after the 17-year-old was shot and killed after Jason Van Dyke, a white police officer, opened fire.
“Could it be that they had just found out about the missing minutes and the missing tape from the murder of Laquan McDonald? Could it be that the mayor helped hide that?” Smollett asked.
“We’re living in a world where the higher-ups, their main mission, in order to do all of the underhanded things that they’re doing, is to distract us with the shiny object. Every single other person’s story has changed multiple times. Mine has never. I have nothing to gain from this,” Smollett said.
Smollett continues to claim that he was attacked by two masked men that yelled racist and homophobic slurs as they beat him. He even claims that one of the men put a noose around his neck before he broke away. The former Empire star continues to make this claim despite two Nigerian brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, testimony that they were paid by Smollett to carry out the assault, Complex reports.
Smollett was convicted for felony disorderly conduct which was overturned on a technicality in 2024.
Smollett who once coined himself the “Gay Tupac” is now looking to make a musical comeback with his single “Break Out,” and is reportedly joining the cast of Fox’s reality show Special Forces. Complex notes that he’s “…recently wrote, directed, and starred in the new film The Last Holliday, which also stars Vivica A. Fox and Smollett’s fiancé, Jabari Redd.”
But Smollett knows it may take a while for people to come around.
“I’m still insecure when I meet people for the first time,” he admitted. “I don’t know if they are coming into the room thinking that I’m this trash person who did something that I didn’t do, or if they are thinking that I am this good person who got a raw deal. Or if they’re not thinking anything and they’re just coming in … I would rather the latter.”
He continued, “I saw firsthand how narratives are built. I saw firsthand the way that someone can take the exact opposite of who you are and literally sell it. And people will be like, ‘I believe it!’ God rest his soul, but homeboy Michael Jackson tried to warn us.”
Smollet also added further in the interview, “To be honest with you, I don’t really know. I’m not an investigative reporter or a detective. I can’t sit and tell you exactly, beat by beat, what happened. I can only tell you what did not happen. And what did not happen is the story that’s been out there for almost seven years, that somehow I would have even a reason to do something as egregious as this.”
Social media is still on the fence but mostly skeptical over the his account. See the reactions below.
