- Jussie Smollett has discussed his initial reaction to the alleged 2019 hate crime, which he was later accused of staging, in the new Netflix documentary The Truth About Jussie Smollett?.
- In the documentary, Smollett describes feeling “eulogized” and “emasculated” by the rapid circulation of reports about the alleged attack.
- The actor, who starred in Empire, claimed two men assaulted him in Chicago, but brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo later alleged Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the incident.
- Prosecutors claimed Smollett orchestrated the attack due to dissatisfaction with the studio's response to hate mail while on Empire.
- Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021, receiving a 150-day jail sentence, but his conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2024 due to a non-prosecution agreement.
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