“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett allegedly paid two brothers $3,500 to stage an assault against him, going so far as to rehearse the attack with them.
Smollett has claimed that two white men in ski masks reportedly approached him, yelled out racial and homophobic slurs (“Aren’t you that faggot Empire nigger?”), then began to attack him with an unknown chemical substance. Before fleeing the scene, one of the men wrapped a rope around Smollett’s neck, as if forming a noose. They then yelled, “This is MAGA country.”
Detectives are following up on information provided by the brothers while they were in custody for two days this past week, the source said.
At least one of the brothers bought the rope at Smollett’s request. Smollett also paid for the rope at Crafty Beaver Hardware Store, located in the Ravenswood neighborhood, the weekend prior to the incident, sources reportedly claimed.
The brothers, who appeared as extras on “Empire,” were allegedly paid $3,500 to participate in the attack, and then promised they would receive an additional $500 after returning from a trip to Nigeria, the sources claimed. They traveled to Africa shortly after the attack, per the report.
The brothers, who were arrested on suspicion of their role in the alleged attack earlier this week, after they came back from Nigeria, were released Friday.
Chicago Police spokesman said in a statement
“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.”
Smollet’s lawyers have said that he felt “victimized” by reports suggesting that the attack was staged.
Smollett’s attorneys released a statement Saturday about the latest allegations.
“As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with. He has now 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. One of these purported suspects was Jussie’s personal trainer who he hired to ready him physically for a music video. It is impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie’s complicity.”
Authorities’ recent skepticism of Smollet’s account marks a dramatic shift from their prior position, in which they disputed reports that the attack was a hoax.
Jussie Smollett FULL Interview on alleged attack:
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