Police Say Jussie Smollett's Staged Attack Was Meant To Further Actor's Career

[Lil Ayy Big Gay]

CHICAGO (AP) — "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted to promote his career, Chicago's police superintendent said Thursday.

 

Before the attack, Smollett also sent a letter that threatened him to the studio in Chicago where "Empire" is shot, Superintendent Eddie Johnsonsaid.

 

Smollett, who is black and gay, turned himself in Thursday to face accusations that he filed a false police report last month when he told authorities he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said.

 

The actor "took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career," Johnson told reporters at a news conference.

"This publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn't earn and certainly didn't deserve," he added.

 

Prosecutors said Smollett gave detailed instructions to two brothers who helped him stage the attack, including giving them specific slurs to yell and telling them to shout "MAGA country" and to drape a rope around his neck.

 

Smollett even pointed out to the men a specific surveillance camera that he thought would capture footage of the beating, Assistant State's Attorney Risa Lanier told a news conference. Police say the camera was pointed another way.

At Smollett's first court appearance, a judge set bond at $100,000, meaning that he must post $10,000 to be released. Smollett's attorneys asked for him to be released on his own recognizance, but the judge, who is also black, said that was inappropriate and that he was particularly bothered by the allegations involving the noose Smollett's neck.

 

Smollett said little during the hearing, except to state his name. He was joined in the courtroom by family members.

The FBI has been investigating the letter. Johnson would not say whether Smollett could face additional charges for that.

The companies that make "Empire," Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television, issued a statement Thursday saying that they were "evaluating the situation" and "considering our options."

 

In less than a month, Smollett went from being the seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being accused of fabricating the entire thing. The 36-year-old was charged Wednesday with felony disorderly conduct, a charge that could bring up to three years in prison and force the actor to pay for the cost of the investigation into his report of a Jan. 29 beating.

 

Police treated Smollett as a victim until the two brothers , who had been taken into custody for questioning, admitted to helping him stage the attack, Johnson said.

 

It was the brothers who also explained Smollett's motive to detectives. Authorities have a check for $3,500 that Smollett paid the brothers, he said.

Smollett, who plays a gay character on the show that follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording industry, said he was attacked as he was walking home from a downtown Subway sandwich shop. He said the masked men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled "This is MAGA country" — an apparent reference to President Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again" — before fleeing.

 

In describing what police believe actually happened, Johnson made it sound as if Smollett was casting and directing a short movie.

"He probably knew he needed somebody with bulk," he said of Smollett's decision to hire the two muscular brothers. Police have said at least one of the brothers worked on "Empire," and Smollett's attorneys said one of the men is the actor's personal trainer.

 

When it came time to stage the attack, Johnson said, Smollett chose a spot that he believed would be captured by one of Chicago's many security cameras. But "that particular camera wasn't pointed in that direction," Johnson said.

The brothers, who are not considered suspects, wore gloves during the staged attack and "punched him a little bit," Johnson said. The scratches and bruising Smollett had on his face were "most likely self-inflicted," Johnson said.

In a statement Wednesday, attorneys Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said Smollett "enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked."

 

Detectives found the two brothers after reviewing hundreds of hours of video. They released images of two people they said they wanted to question and last week picked up the pair at O'Hare Airport as they returned from Nigeria. Police questioned the men and searched their apartment.

 

The brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola "Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, were held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of assaulting Smollett.

The two appeared before a grand jury on Wednesday to "lock in their testimony," according to police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. Smollett was charged by prosecutors, not the grand jury.

 

Speaking outside the courthouse where the grand jury met, the brothers' attorney said the two men testified for about two and a half hours.

"There was a point where this story needed to be told, and they manned up and they said we're going to correct this," Gloria Schmidt said.

She said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity. "You don't need immunity when you have the truth," she said.

 

Smollett has been active in LBGTQ issues, and initial reports of the assault drew outrage and support for him on social media, including from Sen. Kamala Harris of California and TV talk show host Ellen DeGeneres.

 

Referring to a published account of the attack, Trump said last month that "it doesn't get worse, as far as I'm concerned." On Thursday, he tweeted to Smollett: "What about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!? #MAGA."

 

Former Cook County prosecutor Andrew Weisberg said judges rarely throw defendants in prison for making false reports, opting instead to place them on probation, particularly if they have no prior criminal record.

 

Smollett has a record — one that concerns giving false information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to records, he was also charged with false impersonation and driving without a license. He later pleaded no contest to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and treatment program.

 

Source, https://hosted.ap.org/article/7f419a0f017e4f7b933167f2e206de43/empire-actor-goes-victim-accused-felon-3-weeks

 

 

Dumb bastard

[europa]

It’s already hard being black and queer and this dumb ass had to go out and do this and during this current political climate too

Well his career is pretty much over so let’s celebrate that

[lusci]

A whole mess !!

[Platty]

As if it isn’t already hard enough to be black and gay in America, he decided to be an attention whore and psychopath

[Pseudo]

Just desserts then. 

[Big Stupid Jellyfish]

He'll probably still make millions off of book deals and interviews because that's just how things are in America.

[Cerulean]

A true sociopath.

[Hormones.]

He wasn't the person I thought he was, all this time I thought he was a good person but it was just a mask.

When I was 16 he was my light back in 2015, he was the first black gay male I seen on TV.

I cried seeing him on empire and showing representation and showing us in a different light for the black community.

 

I don't know why I'm seeing this....sometimes I wake up and just cry a tear and go shower.

I feel like this isn't real, but it truly is.

He's a liar, a sociopath and an instigator.

I'm glad he was stupid enough to do this to show me and others that he was fake ass toxic piece of shit.

 

You broke my trust and many other people's trust in you, I put you in high regard and was proud of you.

You exploited the racism and homophobia that us black gay people go through.

I hope to never see you again Jussie you are a waste of space that set us back another 20 years.

Go fuck yourself and never have a platform again. 

 

You're truly trash.

[Hormones.]

It’s already hard being black and queer and this dumb ass had to go out and do this and during this current political climate too

Well his career is pretty much over so let’s celebrate that

 

 

As if it isn’t already hard enough to be black and gay in America, he decided to be an attention whore and psychopath

 

 

Exactly being the first black gay male in the main stream media and then pulls this shit on us...

honestly what a waste of space he was, and such a setback that me and every other black queer that has to deal with.

[Lil Ayy Big Gay]

It’s already hard being black and queer and this dumb ass had to go out and do this and during this current political climate too

Well his career is pretty much over so let’s celebrate that

He's so sick, what he did is going to have real consequences for both communities 

I feel so betrayed and gross 

 

 

He knows hate crimes have been on the rise for the past years and the guy only saw money from it

 

He dont give a shit that this has hurt so many

[Lil Ayy Big Gay]

 

He wasn't the person I thought he was, all this time I thought he was a good person but it was just a mask.

When I was 16 he was my light back in 2015, he was the first black gay male I seen on TV.

I cried seeing him on empire and showing representation and showing us in a different light for the black community.

 

I don't know why I'm seeing this....sometimes I wake up and just cry a tear and go shower.

I feel like this isn't real, but it truly is.

He's a liar, a sociopath and an instigator.

I'm glad he was stupid enough to do this to show me and others that he was fake ass toxic piece of shit.

 

You broke my trust and many other people's trust in you, I put you in high regard and was proud of you.

You exploited the racism and homophobia that us black gay people go through.

I hope to never see you again Jussie you are a waste of space that set us back another 20 years.

Go fuck yourself and never have a platform again. 

 

You're truly trash.

 

Go off, king

[cake mf]

 

He wasn't the person I thought he was, all this time I thought he was a good person but it was just a mask.

When I was 16 he was my light back in 2015, he was the first black gay male I seen on TV.

I cried seeing him on empire and showing representation and showing us in a different light for the black community.

 

I don't know why I'm seeing this....sometimes I wake up and just cry a tear and go shower.

I feel like this isn't real, but it truly is.

He's a liar, a sociopath and an instigator.

I'm glad he was stupid enough to do this to show me and others that he was fake ass toxic piece of shit.

 

You broke my trust and many other people's trust in you, I put you in high regard and was proud of you.

You exploited the racism and homophobia that us black gay people go through.

I hope to never see you again Jussie you are a waste of space that set us back another 20 years.

Go fuck yourself and never have a platform again. 

 

You're truly trash.

 

And homeboi can't sing to save his LIFE. Like headass he might be the only person in Empire's main cast that cannot hold a note. 

 

No wonder they were gonna kick him off lmfao. 

[JNT-LEGGO]

And homeboi can't sing to save his LIFE. Like headass he might be the only person in Empire's main cast that cannot hold a note. 

 

No wonder they were gonna kick him off lmfao.

 

His acting is also horrendous.

 

Now theres talk of him using drugs like molly. All the skeleteons flying out

[cake mf]

His acting is also horrendous.

 

Now theres talk of him using drugs like molly. All the skeleteons flying out

Molly isn't enough to make you sing that bad tho...

[Hormones.]

Go off, king

 

I still feel like I'm in some nightmare realm and waiting for someone to wake me up...

 

And homeboi can't sing to save his LIFE. Like headass he might be the only person in Empire's main cast that cannot hold a note. 

 

No wonder they were gonna kick him off lmfao. 

 

I don't wanna even defend him smh they need to blackball him from hollywood 

He said he wasn't making enough money smh he was paid 20,000 an episode ....

1 season is like 15 episodes

he's making more than a quarter a million dollars while everyone in the real world is struggling...

I don't even eat breakfast sometimes because I'M A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT 

Jussie can jump in a black hole for all I care.

[hmthissucks]

people on tumblr are digging their heels in and saying the cops are lying 🤥 the stench... why cape for this nugu

[YGMatt]

He wanted to further his career huh? looks like he furthered it right into the bin, dumbass

[cake mf]

 

I still feel like I'm in some nightmare realm and waiting for someone to wake me up...

 

 

I don't wanna even defend him smh they need to blackball him from hollywood 

He said he wasn't making enough money smh he was paid 20,000 an episode ....

1 season is like 15 episodes

he's making more than a quarter a million dollars while everyone in the real world is struggling...

I don't even eat breakfast sometimes because I'M A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT 

Jussie can jump in a black hole for all I care.

 

Bruhhhhhhhh i'm screaming lol he's on some other shit.

[Hormones.]

Bruhhhhhhhh i'm screaming lol he's on some other shit.

 

He really is !! It's no problem I'm glad he fucked himself now he's gonna be the like the rest of us no more nice cars, houses for him you gonna learn Jussie  

[Your Juan and only]

hes trash for doing this honestly, I've believed him but now this is like wow like you must be fucked up in the head to do this!

 

 

Also Chicago PD does have a lot of flaws and Trevor Noah brought up a good point that police have nothing to gain from this, they only protect police shooting civilians not this.

[al qaeda]

He really got all the attention that he wanted...but not in the way that he wanted. Serves him right.

[shootingstar]

It hurts to say, but I can tell that racists and homophobes will be having a field day with this story, just so they can invalidate other minorities who speak out against injustice.

 

And to think it was all to help futhur his career... in the beginning he was talking about "shedding light" on injustices against poc and lgbt community.

[anh.]

was it worth it over a damn paycheck?

 

can't tell if he realizes the effects this could have on actual serious threats on lgbtq and poc folks; how there are people who would not take those attacks seriously because of false accusations and set-ups like this one

[yeongwon]

what if this hoax was a hoax

 

like what if some powers that be paid jussie to stage the attack and take the fall for staging an attack 

 

it just seems too poorly staged, and the video of them in the store buying the items just seems too staged itself

[typo.]

I am really disgusted with Jussie. He is crazy.