Jussie Smollett lashed out this week after being compared to the pre-teen girl who falsely claimed three white boys at her school held her down and cut her dreads.
On Monday, The Shade Room posted a photo on Instagram of its article about the Virginia teenager, Amari Allen, after she admitted to making up the story. Her grandparents apologized for her lies and the hurt she caused to the three white students she falsely accused.
Self-help guru Derrick Jaxn responded to the post, writing, “Jussie really is a trendsetter [face palm emoji].” The post was an obvious reference to Smollett’s claims earlier this year that two white male supporters of President Donald Trump viciously attacked him in Chicago and placed a noose around his neck. The case was later determined to not be true, as the men were actually of Nigerian descent and knew Smollett personally. The two men said Smollett paid them to orchestrate the hoax.
Jaxn’s comment apparently irked Smollett, who responded:
With all due respect brother, y’all can clown me all you want but my story has actually never changed and I haven’t lied about a thing. Y’all can continue to be misinformed, internalized sheep, who believe what actual proven liars feed you or you can read the actual docs. Either way, I’mma be alright. I know me and what happened. You don’t. So carry on. All love.
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#ClapbackSeason: #JussieSmollett stepped into #TheShadeRoom to let his truth be known! 👀
Smollett’s claim was ludicrous on its face. It requires one to believe that there are emboldened Trump supporters in Deep Blue Chicago wandering the town at 2 a.m. during a polar vortex with a bottle of bleach and rope just hoping to run into someone they could attack. It also requires one to believe that these two predators watched “Empire” and recognized Smollett as an actor.
Smollett went to a Subway restaurant in the early hours of January 29, 2019. On his way back to his friend’s apartment, the two men allegedly attacked him. He returned to the apartment with the noose still around his neck and his Subway meal intact.
Police investigated Smollett’s claims, eventually learning that two brothers of Nigerian descent were behind the attacks. One had been paid by Smollett for personal training and had been a guest star on “Empire.” The two claimed Smollett paid them to orchestrate the attack and even purchased the red baseball hats they wore that were meant to look like Trump’s “Make America Great Again” hats.
Police charged Smollett for staging the attack in an attempt to negotiate a higher salary on “Empire,” but the charges were dropped in what many believe was a corrupt deal. Smollett paid a $10,000 bond and performed 16 hours of community service for his actions, though he maintains his victimhood. The city of Chicago is currently attempting to recover the costs of the investigation into Smollett’s claims.
Last week, media outlets fell for yet another hate crime hoax after a Virginia teenager claimed three white classmates held her down, cut her dreads, and called her hair “nappy.” The teen later admitted she made up the incident.