Chicago police are asking actor and singer Jussie Smollett to submit to another interview after they released two men detained in an alleged assault that a new report says Smollett staged for $3,500.
Smollett insists he was the victim of an anti-gay and anti-black hate crime in Chicago, claiming two men assaulted him, poured bleach on him, and tied a noose around his neck while using slurs and the term “MAGA,” short for President Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”
The actor on the five-season Fox musical drama “Empire” said the attack was an unprovoked assault by a pair of white men and publicly surmised it was motivated by his criticism of Trump.
Police detained and later released without charges two black brothers from Nigeria this week upon their return to the U.S. The local CBS affiliate reports they are believed to have purchased items used in the attack, which they allegedly rehearsed with Smollett.
The brothers, who flew to Nigeria hours after the alleged Jan. 29 attack, reportedly were paid $3,500 before their departure and were promised by Smollett another $500 upon their return.
In a statement, the Chicago police said: “We can confirm that the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the ‘Empire’ case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation. We’ve reached out to the ‘Empire’ cast member’s attorney to request a follow-up interview.”
Smollett appeared on “Good Morning America” Thursday to rebut allegations the hate crime was a hoax.
“You don’t even want to see the truth,” Smollett said about doubters. “It feels like if I had said it was a Muslim, or a Mexican, or someone black, I feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more — a lot more. And that says a lot about the place that we are in our country right now. The fact that we have these fear mongrels [sic], these people that are trying to separate us.”
Smollett also said he never told police the men whom he claims attacked him were wearing “MAGA” hats. “I didn’t need to add anything like that,” he said. “I don’t need some MAGA hat as the cherry on top of some racist sundae.”
Smollett’s attorneys, Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson, put out a statement Saturday evening, saying the actor has been “further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”
