Jussie Smollett continues to defend his hate crime hoax, says initial reactions got him feeling 'emasculated'

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett addresses the 2019 hate crime scandal, claiming that he never orchestrated the event. Even as legal disputes, charges, and public scepticism still haunt him over seven years later, the actor, who was once referred to as a rising star, remembers that the initial reactions got him feeling 'emasculated.'

The investigation began in January 2019, when Jussie Smollett informed the police that he had been attacked in the early morning hours. He said that two males in masks wrapped a rope around his neck, doused him with bleach, and yelled racial and homophobic slurs. Additionally, he said that the assailants yelled:

"This is MAGA country,"

which was a reference to the U.S. politics under the Trump administration.

The Osundario brothers' statement was eventually used by investigators to claim that Smollett planned the incident. The brothers revealed that Jussie Smollett had hired them, who had been extras on Empire, to orchestrate the attack in an attempt to boost his reputation and exposure in Hollywood.

The consequences were immediate and destructive. In March 2019, prosecutors dismissed charges against him; however, a special prosecutor brought the case back to life, and he was found guilty in 2021 of five counts of criminal disorderly behaviour.

He received a sentence of 150 days in prison, a fine of $25,000 and restitution of more than $120,000 to reimburse the Chicago Police Department's investigation expenses. Jussie Smollett was freed on bail after serving just six days. Although his name was not cleared, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed his conviction in 2024 on procedural grounds.

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Jussie Smollett continues to defend himself

Jussie Smollett's claim differs from the brothers' as the brothers claim that he hired them to beat him up, while Smollett had paid the brothers $3500 to obtain an illicit herbal supplement from Nigeria.

He even claims that he is being used as a scapegoat by those in positions of authority. He told Variety in an interview:

“The villains are the two people who assaulted me, the Chicago Police Department and, if I may be so brave, the mayor.”

In order to deflect criticism of the 2014 Laquan McDonald, he accused the city's police department and then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel of planning a smear campaign. He said:

“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?”

He added:

“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.”

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Netflix's documentary

In his new Netflix documentary, The Truth About Jessie Smollett?, which releases on 22 August 2023, he revisits the incident that happened six years ago. In the documentary, Jussie Smollett talks about the experience of the internet reacting to it, where he called it feeling emasculated.

Speaking about the incident in his new Netflix documentary, he said:

"I felt like I had died, and I was alive to see — and what people were saying was so kind, but it was too much for me. It made me very uncomfortable. It made me extremely embarrassed. It made me feel extremely emasculated."

While Smollett continues to deny the claims, the brothers claim a different version of the story. One of the brothers, Bola, said:

"I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for Black people, for gay people, for marginalized people."

The other brother, named Ola, added:

"I thought it was crazy, but at the same time, I'm like, 'It's Hollywood.' This is how it goes."

Jussie Smollett alleges that it was like:

"Playing whack-a-mole with rumors, with lies, but at a certain point, it’s too many, and you can’t catch them all."

When the documentary producer, Abigail Carr said:

"To my eyes, that's when the brothers broker a deal."

Ola responded with:

"There was no deal with the police."

Bola added to his brother's statement:

"You don't need an immunity deal when you're telling the truth."

He added:

"I was conflicted. I didn’t want to go expose him. I wanted him to be a man and come out and say what happened himself."

Meanwhile, Smollett claims that he "cannot stand the brothers for what they did" and "for how they've allowed themselves to benefit."

“But, with that said, I see that from the beginning, they were victims in this. What is important, regardless of what you think about me... the fact is I didn’t do that. That’s all that matters."

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After the incident, Jussie Smollett was dropped by the series Empire as well as by his talent agency, UTA, leaving him stranded. Now, Smollett is back as he signed a record deal with Rowdy Records and will soon release an album. He released a single, “Break Out,” from the upcoming album.

He is also making a comeback to television as he acted and directed The Lost Holliday, which aired on Tubi this summer. He will also participate in Fox's reality series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, which premieres on September 25, 2025.

Stay tuned to SoapCentral for more information.