Former actor and TV star, Jussie Smollett, was convicted this week of staging a race-fueled hate crime on himself in order to boost his stature in Hollywood. The infamous hoax has cost Smollett everything, including his fame and fortune, and he’s now facing years in prison.
Considering the amount of money and time that went into the chaos Smollett put the city of Chicago through, it is truly tragic – however, there is a bit of irony in the former “Empire” star’s lackluster acting skills not only being the foundation of his wildly-ridiculous plan but also contributing to his eventual downfall, as NOBODY, including a jury of his peers, believed the load of crap he was telling.
The Backstory
In case you don’t remember, prosecutors and officials in Chicago had long alleged the main motivator behind Jussie Smollett concocting an elaborate scheme to make himself the victim of a hate crime was because he was not a big enough star on the FOX primetime TV show, “Empire.”
Starring alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, Smollett starred as Jamal Lyons for almost 6 seasons of the series. According to multiple sources at the time of Smollett’s “attack” in 2019, the actor was upset over his contract on “Empire” and was allegedly angling for a bigger paycheck and presence in the storyline. Well he definitely got a bigger presence, but it was not on TV.
Before the attack in Chicago, Smollett also claimed he had been sent a “threatening” letter to the set of “Empire,” but it was never discovered who sent the note, or why it was targeted to the star. Many had started to question whether Smollett had sent himself the letter, and even though the FBI got involved, a culprit was never nabbed.
Performing After the Attack
Days after the alleged attack in Chicago went down, where Smollett claims two guys beat him up and placed a noose around his neck, Smollett felt the need to travel to Los Angeles and perform at The Troubadour.
“I had to be here tonight,” Smollett stoically told the crowd to a standing ovation. Still, things seemed a bit off … as the actor had claimed he was in the most terrifying situation in his life days earlier but then wanted to jump in front of a crowd and perform. Once again, eyebrows were raised because his story seemed really off.
He also began booking A TON of interviews and tearfully recanting his story of “survival” over and over.
Smollett’s “Empire” family had rallied around the star and showered him with support and love but things quickly turned when the story began to spin out of control.
Nothing Added Up
The problem with Jussie Smollett’s story was basically everything. The crocodile tears the actor shed and the details he shared all came crashing down like a house of cards when it turned out the two dudes he hired to stage the attack decided to flip and expose the “Empire” star.
Smollett put all his eggs in the basket of a pair of Nigerian brothers, the Osundairos, who immediately sang like canaries during initial interrogations with law enforcement. The Usondairo brothers were also key witnesses in the ongoing legal proceedings and trial against Smollett.
One Last Shot
It had been a couple of years since the initial madness of Jussie Smollett in Chicago, however, everything was kicked back into gear recently when the criminal trial went underway after Smollett had been charged with 6 felony counts for allegedly staging the fake hate crime and falsely reporting it to police.
The former star had one last shot to convince the jury of 12 that he had taken no part in the planning – that he was the victim of a race-fueled hate crime carried out by two MAGA supporters of former President Donald Trump.
For 5 hours Smollett proclaimed his innocence and spoke about the “terrifying” night he was attacked. He gave it his all and tried with all his might to convince the jury that he was telling the truth. It would be his biggest acting role yet.
Unfortunately for him, Smollett did not brush up on his skills during the last couple of years and was found guilty of 5 of the 6 counts. He’s now facing up to three years in jail.
