<p>The two Nigerian brothers responsible for helping disgraced actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jussie-smollett" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jussie Smollett</a> carry out his fake hate crime attack in 2019 apologized for the stunt during an interview this week.</p>
<p>Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, nicknamed Bola and Ola, made the apology during a Thursday night interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity.</p>
<p>Smollett, who formerly starred in “Empire,” paid $3,500 to the two brothers to carry out the orchestrated attack. Smollett was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-found-guilty-on-multiple-counts-in-hate-crime-hoax-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">convicted</a> in 2021 on five counts stemming from lies that he told law enforcement officials about the incident. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in county jail, but only ended up spending six days behind bars after an appeal.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just first want to apologize to everyone in the audience, the country, and anyone who might have been affected by this directly. When we were asked to partake in this, we really didn&#8217;t foresee the ramifications of what something like this could do to the country,&#8221; Ola Osundairo said. &#8220;We allowed our ambition to cloud our judgment.&#8221;</p>
<p>Smollett claimed that the men who attacked him were white and that they shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him and claimed that Chicago was &#8220;MAGA country.&#8221;</p>
<p>In a Fox News special about the incident, Abimbola told the network: “The police did ask us what Jussie’s motive was, but Jussie did not really tell me a motive.”</p>
<p>“[But] from what he was speaking about, or talking about, I would say what he wanted to accomplish was to increase his star level,” he continued.</p>
<p>“I thought he was a good actor, but I also thought this guy was a fraud,” Abimbola said, referencing Smollett’s attitude in interviews after the incident. “This guy is really just sitting here, lying to these people. Lying through his teeth, and not caring. … I did feel betrayed by Jussie and what he had done. I didn’t know what to do — I wasn’t ready to say anything. Like, I was mute. And I didn’t want to say anything.”</p>
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<p>“Insane. That’s when I really saw a different side of Jussie,” he said. “Like, dude, really? This is when I knew that this dude was like a supervillain.”</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Brothers paid by Jussie Smollett share new details about the hate hoax" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Vawbuv9THt8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>


US-NEWS-SMOLLETT-3-TB

Brothers Who Helped Carry Out Staged Attack On Jussie Smollett Apologize In Interview

Fox News

Jussie Smollett

Scandals

Sean Hannity

U.S.

<p style="font-weight: 400;">The two Nigerian brothers who say they were paid by actor Jussie Smollett to stage an attack on him in January 2019, engendering an outcry from the political Left including Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, are speaking out about the incident and its aftermath for the first time.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Smollett, the former “Empire” star who paid $3,500 to Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, has never admitted that the attack, which he claimed was perpetrated by white supremacists, was a hoax. The brothers said that the attack was a hoax after they were in jail for nearly two days. Smollett was convicted of five felony counts of disorderly conduct in December 2021. In March 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in county jail but only ended up spending six days behind bars after an appeal.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“The police did ask us what Jussie&#8217;s motive was, but Jussie did not really tell me a motive,” Abimbola told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/brothers-in-jussie-smollett-hoax-break-silence-say-actor-wanted-to-be-poster-child-for-activism" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fox Nation</a>. “[But] from what he was speaking about, or talking about, I would say what he wanted to accomplish was to increase his star level.&#8221;</p>
<p>The comments were made in an interview for a new Fox Nation documentary called &#8220;Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax.&#8221;</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“He wanted to be the poster child for activism,” Olabinjo said, as Abimbola added, “That’s what I wanted to say. He wanted to be the hero for gay people, for black people,” The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11856587/Brothers-paid-Jussie-Smollett-attack-Chicago-street-break-silence.html?ns_mchannel=rss&amp;ns_campaign=1490&amp;ito=social-twitter_mailonline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported.</a></p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“I thought he was a good actor, but I also thought this guy was a fraud,” Abimbola said, referencing Smollett’s attitude in interviews after the incident. “This guy is really just sitting here, lying to these people. Lying through his teeth, and not caring. &#8230; I did feel betrayed by Jussie and what he had done. I didn&#8217;t know what to do — I wasn&#8217;t ready to say anything. Like, I was mute. And I didn&#8217;t want to say anything.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">“Insane. That&#8217;s when I really saw a different side of Jussie,” he said. “Like, dude, really? This is when I knew that this dude was like a supervillain.”</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">When the interviewer asked the brothers if they were “believable white supremacists,” Abimbola laughed. “One hundred percent! Look at me!” he said.</p>
<p style="font-weight: 400;">Abimbola claimed that Smollett would ask him to “help him procure or get weed, and different types of paraphernalia. &#8230; He would ask me to do it because he’s not from Chicago, and he wanted to keep a lower profile. &#8230; He did not want to get the drug dealer’s number – he wanted me to be the middleman and to get the drugs for him.”</p>
<p>At the time, the Smollett hoax was quickly picked up as a talking point by major Democrats, including Biden.</p>
<p>Biden <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1090422326783606784" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tweeted</a>, &#8220;What happened today to<a href="https://twitter.com/JussieSmollett"> @JussieSmollett</a> must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.” Harris <a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris/status/1090361495119187969?" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called the incident</a> a “modern-day lynching.”</p>


Collage Maker-14-Mar-2023-08-19-AM-3219

‘Like A Supervillain’: Nigerian Brothers Hired By Jussie Smollett Speak Out For First Time

Nigerian Brothers Hired By Jussie Smollett Speak Out For First Time

Chicago

Crime

Hate Crime

Joe Biden

Nigeria

<p>Disgraced former actor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/jussie-smollett" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jussie Smollett</a> is the focus on an upcoming docuseries, titled &#8220;Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax,” which will drop this month on the Fox Nation channel.</p>
<p>The five part series details the events that led up to Smollett’s call to police about being attacked on the streets of Chicago in January 2019 that later turned out to be a hoax, <a href="https://deadline.com/2023/03/fox-nation-jussie-smollett-anatomy-of-a-hoax-docuseries-1235275869/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Deadline</a> magazine reported.</p>
<p>The series is being billed as providing exclusive interviews with brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who have yet to speak to the media about their part in Smollett&#8217;s elaborate plan to perpetrate the hate crime hoax, the outlet noted.</p>
<p>&#8220;Describes the intrigue and drama that caused a celebrity to become despised, shocked Chicago and beyond, and left a path of destroyed reputations and careers,&#8221; a description about the docuseires reads on <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt26934427/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IMDb</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;The Osundairo brothers will provide all the details related to the false crime,&#8221; it added.</p>
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<p>“‘Anatomy of a Hoax&#8217; takes a deep dive into a scam that reverberated through the worlds of entertainment, pop culture and politics,&#8221; John Finley, the streaming platform&#8217;s executive vice president, shared.</p>
<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re excited for viewers to hear the real stories behind this scandal from the Osundairo brothers for the very first time,&#8221; he added.</p>
<p>📱<strong><a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a></strong></p>
<p>In January 2019, Smollett told police that he was attacked by two men in Chicago at 2 a.m. who he claimed made racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck, poured an “unknown substance” on him, and yelled that this is “MAGA country,” The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-ordered-released-from-jail-after-serving-less-than-week-of-5-month-sentence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The two men he claimed attacked him were the Osundairo brothers.</p>
<p>The disgraced actor was later convicted on five felony counts, which included lying to Chicago PD. In December 2021, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail, followed by 30 months probation. He was also ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution and $25,000 in fines, as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-ordered-released-from-jail-after-serving-less-than-week-of-5-month-sentence" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. He was released from jail in March 2022, pending appeal.</p>
<p>Throughout the entire ordeal and after, Smollett has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-releases-rap-single-asserting-his-innocence-attacking-critics-after-being-released-from-jail" target="_blank" rel="noopener">maintained his innocence</a>, going so far as to say that if he &#8220;had done this,&#8221; he&#8217;d &#8220;be a piece of s***,&#8221; as previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-if-i-had-done-this-id-be-a-piece-of-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.</p>
<p>&#8220;Anatomy of A Hoax&#8221; hits Fox Nation on March 13.</p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-found-guilty-on-multiple-counts-in-hate-crime-hoax-case" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jussie Smollett Found Guilty On Multiple Counts In Hate Crime Hoax Case</a></strong></p>


Double-jeopardy claim for Jussie Smollett could hark back to landmark case against mob hit man

Jussie Smollett ‘Anatomy Of A Hoax’ Docuseries To Air In March

Celebrities

Entertainment

Hoax

<p>Jussie Smollett, on a podcast released on his 40<sup>th</sup> birthday, still protested that he was not responsible for the infamous hoax in which he claimed he was the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack, insisting, “If I had done this, I&#8217;d be a piece of s***.”</p>
<p>Speaking on the Sway’s SiriusXM podcast, Smollett, who was found guilty of felony disorderly conduct for the incident but later only spent six days in jail pending appeal of his original 150-day sentence, declared there was no doubt he had not created the hoax.</p>
<p>“And I don&#8217;t think that that is — I don’t think that that is, that’s not really questionable,” he stated. “I wanted to say ‘If I had done something like this, it would mean that I stuck my fist in the pain of black Americans in this country for over 400 years.’”</p>
<p>“It would mean that I stuck my fist in the fears of the LGBTQ community all over the world. I am not that motherf*****. Never have been. Don&#8217;t need to be,” he asserted.</p>
<p>“Smollett told police on January 29, 2019, that he was attacked by two men in Chicago at 2 a.m. who he claimed made racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck, poured an ‘unknown substance’ on him, and yelled that this is ‘MAGA country,’” The Daily Wire <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-ordered-released-from-jail-after-serving-less-than-week-of-5-month-sentence/">reported.</a></p>
<p>“For whatever reason, I genuinely thought that people were gonna be like, ‘There is no way he did some bulls*** like that,’” Smollett continued on the podcast. “Y’all know me. And I’m thinking, people’s history should mean something.”</p>
<p>Smollet then attempted to deflect by saying some claims against him were true, but the claims he had perpetrated the hoax were not:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>And it’s very interesting: When someone lies on you, over and over, and you know what is the lie, then you’re forced to acknowledge the truths around the matter as well. And that’s really painful as well, cause it’s easy to just be like, “That’s a bulls*** lie. I didn’t do no f***ing hoax. F*** that.” But then at the same time, then they bring out drug stuff. And you’re, “Whew, I did do that.” And you’re sitting there and you’re like, “But this doesn’t have anything to do with what y’all are saying I did do that I didn’t do.”</em></p></blockquote>
<p>“I don’t hold the people to anything that stepped back,” Smollett said of his critics. “I hold the people that went out there and said s***. I hold them to something, And not the people who don’t know me. But the people who do know me? F*** out of here. Y’all know better than that, Y’all know better than that. That&#8217;s some PR bulls***. And you know who you are. And I will not name names and I love everybody, but I don&#8217;t like everybody.”</p>
<p>“I am an actor, a director, a writer, a producer,” Smollett claimed. “If I were to do something, it would not be to look like a victim. It would be to look like, if anything, someone strong.”</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Jussie Smollett On Friendship with Taraji P. Henson, ‘B-Boy Blues’ Film &amp; Gaining Clarity From Jail" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pPLYVNTxjus?start=259&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>


Actor Jussie Smollett Appears Outside Of Court After It Was Announced That All Charges Have Been Dropped Against Him

Jussie Smollett: ‘If I Had Done This, I’d Be A Piece Of S***’

Jussie Smollett protests he did not create racist, anti-gay hoax

<p>Disgraced former &#8220;Empire&#8221; actor Jussie Smollett released a single Friday proclaiming his innocence of faking a hate crime, shortly after being released from jail.</p>
<p>Smollett released the single, titled “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVaIKKNAII4">Thank You, God</a>,&#8221; on several major music streaming services. In the song, Smollett asserts his innocence regarding the faking of a hate crime in 2019, and fires back at critics who &#8220;politicized&#8221; the controversy. The song also features a chorus in which he sings &#8220;thank you, God, for showing me my enemies.&#8221; A clip of the song was released to Smollett&#8217;s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CcGJKv3lvKy/">Instagram</a> account, which is run by his family, according to the account&#8217;s biography line. The caption under the clip said that proceeds from the song would go to support the Rainbow Push Coalition, STB Safety, and the Illinois Innocence Project.</p>
<p>The clip opens with a note from Smollett to fans. &#8220;Channeling these thoughts the best way I know how,&#8221; Smollett wrote. In the clip, Smollett asserts his innocence, and seemingly blames the criminal justice system for ignoring issues of race and homophobia:</p>
<blockquote><p><i>It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime</i></p>
<p><i>Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives</i></p>
<p><i>But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides</i></p></blockquote>
<p>He then appears to claim that those who turned his hate crime hoax into a public scandal were looking out for social media attention, and that he wasn&#8217;t &#8220;stupid enough&#8221; to kill his reputation by faking a hate crime:</p>
<blockquote><p><i>But I can’t be mad</i></p>
<p><i>Take my ego out</i></p>
<p><i>Some people searching for fame</i></p>
<p><i>Some people chasing that clout</i></p>
<p><i>Just remember this</i></p>
<p><i>This ain’t that situation</i></p>
<p><i>You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?</i></p></blockquote>
<blockquote><p><i>Just simply to look like a victim like it’s something fun</i></p>
<p><i>Y’all better look at someone else, you got the wrong one</i></p></blockquote>
<p>Smollett goes on to thank the people who stayed by his side when the controversy broke, and claims that the media narrative is the reason those around him &#8220;felt betrayed”:</p>
<blockquote><p><i>Wait, let me rephrase that</i></p>
<p><i>Cause the narrative they played</i></p>
<p><i>I really &#8220;over-stand&#8221; the reason why y&#8217;all felt betrayed</i></p></blockquote>
<p>Smollett also referenced film director <a href="https://pagesix.com/2020/04/09/jussie-smollett-and-lee-daniels-not-on-speaking-terms/">Lee Daniels</a> and CNN anchor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/don-lemon-blasts-smollett-for-lies-stays-silent-on-allegedly-aiding-actor-during-police-investigation">Don Lemon</a>, saying he still had good will toward them, even after both figures distanced themselves from Smollett after his alleged hate crime was outed as a hoax:</p>
<blockquote><p><i>They had my own people</i></p>
<p><i>Thoughts going off the wall</i></p>
<p><i>That&#8217;s why from L.D. to Don I still got love for y&#8217;all</i></p>
<p><i>I know we&#8217;ll meet again</i></p>
<p><i>Talk like real men</i></p>
<p><i>Instead of sharing shade in rooms and up on CNN</i></p></blockquote>
<p>Smollett ends the clip, saying that he is “pushing through the clouds,” and that all he ever wanted to was &#8220;make his people proud”:</p>
<blockquote><p><i>Thunder&#8217;s mad loud</i></p>
<p><i>Still I&#8217;m pushing through the clouds</i></p>
<p><i>All I ever wanted to do was make my people proud</i></p>
<p><i>Fame is nothing real, it’s how you make them feel</i></p>
<p><i>Celebrity is for the birds, I ain’t no man of steel</i></p></blockquote>
<p>The full song, nearly 6 minutes long, has fewer than 1,600 plays on YouTube as of publication of this article, and the <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/04/09/jussie-smollett-releases-new-song-claiming-innocence-weeks-after-leaving-jail/">New York Post</a> notes less than 6,000 plays on Spotify.</p>
<p>Smollett was convicted on five of six counts of disorderly conduct, which included lying to police. He was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-gets-jail-time-probation-ordered-to-pay-fine">sentenced</a> in December to 150 days in jail, followed by 30 months on probation, and ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution and $25,000 in fines. He was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-ordered-released-from-jail-after-serving-less-than-week-of-5-month-sentence">released</a> from jail in March, pending appeal.</p>


Jussie Smollett Releases Rap Single Asserting His Innocence, Attacking Critics After Being Released From Jail

<p>Convicted felon Jussie Smollett was ordered to be released from jail on Wednesday pending appeal of his 150-day sentence that went into effect last week for staging a hate crime hoax against himself and lying to law enforcement about it.</p>
<p>&#8220;The one-page order issued by the Illinois Appellate Court on Wednesday afternoon stated that Smollett was to be released from the Cook County Jail after signing a $150,000 recognizance bond, which would not require him to post any money,&#8221; the Chicago Tribune <a href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-jussie-smollett-released-from-jail-pending-appeal-order-20220316-27sodqs4p5cffklcgtltvy5h2i-story.html">reported</a>. &#8220;The only explanation offered in the order was that Smollett has never been convicted of a violent offense and would have completed his sentence of incarceration well before his appeal is decided.&#8221;</p>
<p>Smollett was sentenced on Thursday of last week to 150 days in jail, followed by 30 months on probation, and ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution and $25,000 in fines during his sentencing.</p>
<p id="_ap_link_Jussie Smollett_JussieSmollett_">Smollett told police on January 29, 2019, that he was attacked by two men in Chicago at 2 a.m. who he claimed made racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck, poured an “unknown substance” on him, and yelled that this is “MAGA country.”</p>
<p>Police later obtained footage of the two men, who are brothers, in question and detained them at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport a couple of weeks later after they returned from Nigeria. Police later released the two brothers, saying that they were not suspects in the investigation.</p>
<p>The Associated Press <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/timeline-events-jussie-smollett-reported-attack-83357422">highlighted</a> the following key events:</p>
<ul>
<li>Feb. 16, 2019: Police say the investigation has “shifted” after detectives questioned the brothers, and request a follow-up interview with Smollett. His lawyers say he feels “victimized” by reports that he played a role in the assault.</li>
<li>Feb. 17, 2019: Chicago police reach out to Smollett’s attorney saying they still want to interview him again because new information has “shifted” their investigation.</li>
<li>Feb. 19, 2019: Chicago’s top prosecutor, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, recuses herself from the investigation. Her office says the decision was made “out of an abundance of caution … to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case.”</li>
<li>Feb. 20, 2019: Prosecutors charge Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report about the alleged attack.</li>
<li>March 7, 2019: A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offense.</li>
<li>March 26, 2019: Smollett’s attorneys say charges alleging he lied to police have been dropped.</li>
<li>March 28, 2019: A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged.</li>
<li>Aug. 23, 2019: Judge names former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped.</li>
<li>Feb. 11, 2020: Webb says grand jury returns six-count indictment against Smollett, accusing him of lying to police.</li>
<li>Dec. 9, 2021: A jury convicts Smollett on five counts of disorderly conduct, and acquits him on a sixth count.</li>
</ul>
<p><em>This article has been expanded after publication to include additional information.</em></p>


Jussie Smollett Ordered Released From Jail After Serving Less Than A Week Of 5 Month Sentence Pending Appeal

<p>&#8220;Empire&#8221; costar Taraji P. Henson defended actor and convicted hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett via Instagram over the weekend, pleading for Smollett&#8217;s freedom and arguing that his apparent blacklisting from Hollywood is equivalent to being in prison.</p>
<p>The actress also invoked the murder of black teenager Emmitt Till, suggesting Smollett is innocent.</p>
<p>Back in December, the actor was found <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-found-guilty-on-multiple-counts-in-hate-crime-hoax-case">guilty</a> on five counts of disorderly conduct in relation to his infamous hate crime hoax.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime,&#8221; Henson started her post, captioning an image that says #FreeJussie.</p>
<p>&#8220;Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false,&#8221; she argued. &#8220;No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING! To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough,&#8221; Henson wrote. &#8220;He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artist who loves to create, that is prison.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;My prayer is that he is freed and put on house arrest and probation because in this case that would seem fair,&#8221; she closed the post. &#8220;Please <a class=" xil3i" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/freejussie/">#freejussie</a>.&#8221;</p>
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<p>Smollett&#8217;s actress sister, Jurnee Smollett, said her brother was convicted and hit with five months of jail time not because he&#8217;s guilty, but because he&#8217;s black.</p>
<p>&#8220;Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of White Americans. Jussie is innocent,&#8221; she wrote via Instagram. &#8220;And…you don’t have to believe in his innocence to believe he should be free.<br />
<a class=" xil3i" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/freejussie/">#FreeJussie</a> <a class=" xil3i" href="https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/stoplockingupourpeople/">#StopLockingUpOurPeople</a>.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jurnee captioned the same #FreeJussie photo as Henson.</p>
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<p>Back in January 2019, Smollett claimed he was targeted and attacked by apparent supporters of President Donald Trump in an anti-gay, anti-black hate crime. His alleged attackers, whom he allegedly described as white males who yelled “This is MAGA country,” were brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo. Notably, the brothers are both black men who knew the “Empire” star before the incident and have claimed Smollett orchestrated the “hoax.” <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/here-are-all-top-democrats-tweets-about-jussie-amanda-prestigiacomo">The Daily Wire</a> detailed Smollett’s claim at the time:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>Smollett contends he was targeted by two Trump supporters, who verbally and physically accosted him as he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in downtown Chicago on January 29. The actor says the men called him a “f*****” and a “n*****,” tied a noose around his neck, poured bleach on him, and kicked him in the ribs.</em></p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-found-guilty-on-multiple-counts-in-hate-crime-hoax-case">Jussie Smollett Found Guilty On Multiple Counts In Hate Crime Hoax Case</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-can-rest-knowing-that-his-attacker-has-been-convicted-social-media-erupts-following-verdict">‘Jussie Smollett Can Rest Knowing That His Attacker Has Been Convicted’: Social Media Erupts Following Verdict</a></strong></p>
<p><strong>Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/smollett-admits-on-stand-to-changing-description-of-attackers-from-white-to-pale-was-being-responsible">Smollett Admits On Stand To Changing Description Of ‘Attackers’ From ‘White’ To ‘Pale,’ Was Being ‘Responsible’</a></strong></p>


BET Awards 2021 – Arrivals

Costar Taraji P. Henson Wants Jussie Smollett ‘Free,’ Says Blacklisting From Hollywood Is ‘Prison,’ Invokes Emmett Till

<p>Convicted liar Jussie Smollett’s lawyers are demanding the actor be released from jail, claiming he is facing “vicious threats”—including a phone call that seems to allude to the case of a sodomized New York City man, according to a new report.</p>
<p>The former &#8220;Empire&#8221; actor&#8217;s legal team has filed a motion to win his release, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/jussie-smollett-emergency-release-filing-1321102/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Rolling Stone</a> reported.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of Smollett’s siblings received the alarming call Friday morning on the number that was given as his emergency jail contact when he was taken into custody Thursday night following sentencing for his hate hoax conviction, a Smollett spokeswoman says,&#8221; the magazine said. &#8220;&#8216;I hope what they do to that guy in jail — here’s what they’re going to do, right. They’re going to take a broom handle, and take that little [expletive], shove it in there, and he’s gonna&#8217; go, [shrieking sound],&#8217; a man’s voice says in video of the call shared by Smollett’s team on Monday.&#8221;</p>
<p>The threat was apparently a reference to the 1997 police assault on Abner Louima in Brooklyn, &#8220;in which Louima was sodomized with a broken broomstick in the bathroom of the 70th precinct by Justin Volpe, the disgraced NYPD Officer now serving 30 years for the attack,&#8221; the mag said.</p>
<p>The motion comes a day after Smollett&#8217;s brother said the actor, who was sentenced to 150 days after lying about a hate crime, was moved to the psychiatric ward at the Cook County jail.</p>
<p>“Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail,” Jocqui Smollett said in a video posted to Jussie&#8217;s Instagram, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/jussie-smollett-psych-ward-cook-county-jail-brother-instagram-1234977231/">according</a> to Deadline. “What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put on the front of his jail cell saying that he’s at risk of self-harm.”</p>
<p>After he was sentenced, Smollett yelled in the courtroom in an odd outburst. “I am innocent, and I am not suicidal” he repeatedly shouted as he was taken to jail on Thursday.</p>
<p>Famous inmates like Jeffrey Epstein and John McAfee both allegedly committed suicide while in jail, and Smollett appeared to be saying if something happened to him, he didn&#8217;t commit suicide.</p>
<p>Jocqui added about his brother: “I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. And he wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy, and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him.”</p>
<p>Smollett claimed in January 2019 that he was attacked in Chicago by two white men who yelled “This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”</p>
<p>The actor was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 16 felony counts after he allegedly lied to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime. The actor said two men attacked him at 2 a.m. when he was walking home from a sandwich shop, poured what he believed to be bleach on him, and placed a rope around his neck.</p>
<p>Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx later announced that her office was dropping the case. Smollett was allowed to walk free after forfeiting his $10,000 bail and performing 16 hours of community service, to which Foxx said, “I believe this is a just outcome based on the circumstances.”</p>
<p>But new information brought the charges back to life, and after being convicted on five of six charges. Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months of probation, restitution of $120,106, and a fine of $25,000 on Thursday for his part in orchestrating a hate hoax.</p>
<p>“You’re just a charlatan, pretending to be a victim of a hate crime,” Judge James Linn said to Jussie Smollett during Thursday’s <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-was-late-to-his-own-sentencing-and-his-bodyguards-manhandled-a-reporter-on-the-way-in/">sentencing</a>. He added that the actor’s name “has “has become an adverb for ‘lying,’” and that “there is nothing that I will do here today that can come close to the damage you’ve already done to your own life.”</p>
<p><em>Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent, and ran the Drudge Report from 2010 to 2015. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.</em></p>


US-NEWS-SMOLLETT-TB

Jussie Smollett’s Lawyers Demand Emergency Release After Family Reveals Threatening Call

<p>Jussie Smollett&#8217;s brother says the former &#8220;Empire&#8221; actor, who was sentenced to 150 days after lying about a hate attack, is in now being held in the psychiatric ward at the Cook County jail.</p>
<p>“Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail,” Jocqui Smollett said in a video posted to Jussie&#8217;s Instagram, <a href="https://deadline.com/2022/03/jussie-smollett-psych-ward-cook-county-jail-brother-instagram-1234977231/">according</a> to Deadline. “What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put on the front of his jail cell saying that he’s at risk of self-harm.”</p>
<p>After he was sentenced, Smollett yelled in the courtroom in an odd outburst. “I am innocent, and I am not suicidal” he repeatedly shouted as he was taken to jail on Thursday.</p>
<p>Famous inmates like Jeffrey Epstein and John McAfee both allegedly committed suicide while in jail, and Smollett appeared to be saying if something happened to him, he didn&#8217;t commit suicide.</p>
<p>Jocqui added about his brother: “I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. And he wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy, and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him.”</p>
<p>Smollett claimed in January 2019 that he was attacked by two white men who yelled “This is MAGA country,” a reference to President Donald Trump’s campaign slogan, “Make America Great Again.”</p>
<p>The actor was indicted by a grand jury in Chicago on 16 felony counts after he allegedly lied to police about being the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime. The actor said two men attacked him at 2 a.m. when he was walking home from a sandwich shop, poured what he believed to be bleach on him, and placed a rope around his neck.</p>
<p>Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx later announced that her office was dropping the case. Smollett was allowed to walk free after forfeiting his $10,000 bail and performing 16 hours of community service, to which Foxx said, “I believe this is a just outcome based on the circumstances.”</p>
<p>Smollett later declared that the state’s attorney’s decision exonerated him.</p>
<p>“I want you to know that not for a moment was it in vain. I have been truthful and consistent on every level since day one. I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I’m accused of. This has been an incredibly difficult time. Honestly one of the worst of my entire life. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history and I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this, I just wouldn’t,” he said.</p>
<p>But new information brought the charges back to life, and after being convicted on five of six charges. Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months of probation, restitution of $120,106, and a fine of $25,000 on Thursday for his part in orchestrating a hate hoax.</p>
<p>“You’re just a charlatan, pretending to be a victim of a hate crime,” Judge James Linn said to Jussie Smollett during Thursday’s <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-was-late-to-his-own-sentencing-and-his-bodyguards-manhandled-a-reporter-on-the-way-in/">sentencing</a>. He added that the actor’s name “has “has become an adverb for ‘lying,’” and that “there is nothing that I will do here today that can come close to the damage you’ve already done to your own life.”</p>
<p><em>Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent, and ran the Drudge Report from 2010 to 2015. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.</em></p>


Jussie Smollett Sentenced For Disorderly Conduct Convictions

Jussie Smollett Put In Jail’s Psych Ward After Being Deemed Self-Harm Risk, Brother Claims

<p>According to <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/03/12/jussie-smollett-race-black-jail-sentence-hoax/">TMZ</a>, Jussie Smollett, who received a 150-day jail sentence last week, told his defense team before his sentence was meted out that he would get a more severe sentence because he is black.</p>
<p>“Sources with direct knowledge and in constant touch with the &#8220;Empire&#8221; actor tell TMZ &#8230; Jussie fully expected to get jail time,” TMZ reported. “He told his defense team before sentencing he felt he would be treated more harshly than other defendants convicted of a non-violent crime &#8230; all because of the color of his skin. He thinks it&#8217;s more evidence of systemic racism in the judicial system.”</p>
<p>“Convicted felon Jussie Smollett, who is currently serving a five-month prison term for falsely claiming to police that he was the victim of a hate crime hoax that he staged, had messages appear on his Instagram account on Saturday proclaiming his innocence and stating that he should be let out of prison even if people don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s innocent,” The Daily Wire<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jussie-smolletts-instagram-account-starts-posting-messages-you-dont-have-to-believe-in-his-innocence-to-believe-he-should-be-free/"> reported</a> on Saturday.</p>
<p>Last December, Smollett was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-jussie-smollett-found-guilty-on-multiple-counts-in-hate-crime-hoax-case">convicted</a> by a jury on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for making false reports over a January 2019 incident in which the actor claimed to be the victim of a hate crime, as <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/chicago-vindicated-after-jussie-smollett-sentenced-for-malicious-hoax-hate-crime-mayor-says/">The Daily Wire</a> reported, adding, “He told police that two men attacked him just after 2 a.m. outside of a Subway, tossing a noose around his neck and throwing an unknown substance on him. The two men were later identified as acquaintances of Smollett and said the actor had paid them to stage the hoax attack.”</p>
<p>The Associated Press <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/timeline-events-jussie-smollett-reported-attack-83357422">highlighted</a> the history of Smollett’s journey toward jail:</p>
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Feb. 16, 2019: Police say the investigation has &#8220;shifted&#8221; after detectives questioned the brothers, and request a follow-up interview with Smollett. His lawyers say he feels &#8216;victimized&#8217; by reports that he played a role in the assault.</li>
<li>Feb. 17, 2019: Chicago police reach out to Smollett&#8217;s attorney saying they still want to interview him again because new information has &#8220;shifted&#8221; their investigation.</li>
<li>Feb. 19, 2019: Chicago&#8217;s top prosecutor, Cook County State&#8217;s Attorney Kim Foxx, recuses herself from the investigation. Her office says the decision was made &#8220;out of an abundance of caution &#8230; to address potential questions of impartiality based upon familiarity with potential witnesses in the case.&#8221;</li>
<li>Feb. 20, 2019: Prosecutors charge Smollett with disorderly conduct for filing a false police report about the alleged attack&#8230;</li>
<li>March 7, 2019: A Cook County grand jury returns a 16-count indictment charging Smollett with falsely reporting an offense.</li>
<li>March 26, 2019: Smollett&#8217;s attorneys say charges alleging he lied to police have been dropped.</li>
<li>March 28, 2019: A city official says Chicago is seeking $130,000 from Smollett to cover the cost of the investigation into his reported beating, which police say was staged&#8230;</li>
<li>Aug. 23, 2019: Judge names former U.S. Attorney Dan Webb as special prosecutor to investigate why charges against Smollett were dropped.</li>
<li>Feb. 11, 2020: Webb says grand jury returns six-count indictment against Smollett, accusing him of lying to police&#8230;</li>
<li>Dec. 9, 2021: A jury convicts Smollett on five counts of disorderly conduct, and acquits him on a sixth count.</li>
</ul>


Jussie Smollett Told Attorneys He Would Get Harsher Sentence Because He’s Black: Report

<p>Independent journalist Megyn Kelly made it clear that she had no patience for any continued drama coming from convicted hate-crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett following his sentencing on Thursday evening.</p>
<p>Kelly discussed the &#8220;Empire&#8221; actor&#8217;s <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/jussie-smollett-was-late-to-his-own-sentencing-and-his-bodyguards-manhandled-a-reporter-on-the-way-in/">situation</a> on her Friday show with guest Dave Rubin, and she said that she didn&#8217;t care what personal issues he might be dealing with and did not &#8220;feel sorry for him at all.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kelly mentioned the verbal lashing Cook County Judge James Linn delivered ahead of the sentence as well as pleas for mercy from Smollett&#8217;s brother Jojo, who claimed the judge was unaware of the difficulties the actor was facing.</p>
<p>&#8220;He doesn’t know the struggles my brother is encountering. He doesn’t know anything that he’s dealing with,&#8221; Jojo said.</p>
<p>The actor himself launched a brief tirade after being sentenced to 150 days in the Cook County Jail — in addition to probation and approximately $150,000 in fines and restitution combined.</p>
<p>&#8220;I am not suicidal. If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, you must all know that,&#8221; Smollett said, still insisting that he was innocent of the charges against him.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Wild moment: After getting sentenced to 150 days in jail, Jussie Smollett maintains his innocence and repeats how he is not suicidal.</p>
<p>&quot;I am not suicidal. I am innocent and I am not suicidal &#8230; if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/AnDsLcINKL">pic.twitter.com/AnDsLcINKL</a></p>
<p>&mdash; The Recount (@therecount) <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1502084342239088652?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2022</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>Kelly, for her part, said that she was over it.</p>
<p>&#8220;We don’t care! I couldn’t care less what struggles he’s encountering. You’re going to prison because you did lie. You broke the law,&#8221; Kelly explained. &#8220;You actually involved a lot of the Chicago P.D. time, took up a lot of their time when they could have been solving murders and real crimes out in the streets of Chicago. I don’t feel sorry for him <em>at all.&#8221;</em></p>
<p>Kelly&#8217;s assessment echoed some of the key points made by Judge Linn, who spent nearly 30 minutes lecturing Smollett before pronouncing his sentence on Thursday. The judge said that Smollett had wasted valuable Chicago resources and damaged the victims of real hate crimes when he had concocted and then assisted in executing a bogus hate crime against himself — all in what appeared to simply be an attempt to make himself more famous.</p>
<p>&#8220;Judge to Jussie Smollett: I don&#8217;t think you did it for the money &#8230; only thing I can find is you craved attention,&#8221; Fox News&#8217; Matt Finn <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1502074898029498373">tweeted</a> as Judge Linn effectively read Smollett the riot act ahead of his sentencing.</p>
<p>&#8220;Judge to Jussie Smollett: you have done some real damage (to hate crime victims),&#8221; Finn <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1502075071904423936">continued</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/MattFinnFNC/status/1502075967656763392">adding</a>, &#8220;Judge to Smollett: you premediated this to an extreme that is amazing. You wrote a script.. that involved words… you encountered me on the street… that’s not a good script… especially for Streeterville in Chicago.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;They never did get the noose around your neck. I repeat, you put the noose around your own neck,&#8221; Judge Linn concluded, saying that he believed the jury had been right to convict Smollett.</p>
<p>You can watch Smollett&#8217;s sentencing here:</p>
<p><iframe loading="lazy" title="Judge James Linn&#039;s full address as he sentences Jussie Smollett" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3TqnUnzTfM8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>


“Pip’s Island” Opening Celebration

Megyn Kelly Levels Jussie Smollett In Post-Sentencing Rant: ‘I Don’t Feel Sorry For Him At All’

Megyn Kelly

<p>Convicted felon Jussie Smollett, who is currently serving a five-month prison term for falsely claiming to police that he was the victim of a hate crime hoax that he staged, had messages appear on his Instagram account on Saturday proclaiming his innocence and stating that he should be let out of prison even if people don&#8217;t think he&#8217;s innocent.</p>
<p>&#8220;Jussie is innocent,&#8221; a message posted on Smollett&#8217;s Instagram account stated. &#8220;And…you don’t have to believe in his innocence to believe he should be free. #FreeJussie&#8221;</p>
<p>Smollett&#8217;s account, which states that it is currently being run by his family, then posted the following message that they said came from a Chicago activist:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>The Chicago Police Department wants you to believe that Jussie Smollett paid two big Black a** Nigerians $1750 each to play white and attack him in the freezing f***ing cold in front of the surveillance camera outside his residence.</em></p>
<p><em>They want you to believe that although Jussie is half Jewish and a brilliant actor, writer, producer and director who has been in the entertainment industry his entire f***ing life and has access to all type of white people that he was still dumb or &#8221;arrogant&#8221; enough to choose to cast two f***ing bodybuilding a** Africans to play the white MAGA supporting assailants in his fake hate crime attack video that he wanted to go viral and bring him more attention and celebrity because being on Empire wasn&#8217;t doing enough for him, his ego and his career.</em></p>
<p><em>They want you to believe that the two Nigerian brothers heard this plan and were like &#8221;yeah of course we believe our Black a**es can pass for white just by yelling out racist homophobic s**t and that we&#8217;ll get away with attacking one of the biggest television stars in the nation in front of the surveillance camera outside his home in the white bougie a** neighborhood he lives in and no one will ever suspect it was us. Yeah that makes perfect sense to us.&#8221;</em></p>
<p><em>They need you to believe that it didn&#8217;t matter that the Osundairo brothers were criminalized, intimidated and starved during interrogation for 47 f***ing hours before they signed their confessions agreeing to the police&#8217;s narrative of what happened to Jussie. They need you to forget that this is the false confession and wrongful conviction capital of America. They need you to forget how plea deals work and that people confess to s**t they didn&#8217;t do all the time under stress and duress. They need you to not think too long about the fact that one of the brothers was a convicted felon and when police raided their home they found guns and drugs but no one was charged with anything.</em></p>
<p><em>They&#8217;re relying on you to disregard the neighbor who reported a suspicious white man with a rope hanging from his coat outside Jussie&#8217;s home. They&#8217;re counting on you to not give too much weight to the testimony of the security guard who was working nearby and said he saw Jussie getting up from the ground and a white man in a ski mask running away from the scene of the attack right after it happened. They&#8217;re counting on you being dumb and gullible as hell and believing whatever bulls**t they tell you to believe. But I&#8217;m counting on you not to.</em></p>
<p><em>Jussie Smollett was attacked by white Trump supporters like he f***ing said he was then he was further victimized and framed by the Chicago Police Department. He is not safe inside Cook County Jail, and quite frankly no one is. #FreeJussie and #FreeThemAll[.]</em></p></blockquote>
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