Police say Smollett plotted hoax for publicity.
‘Empire’ actor faces charges in alleged attack
CHICAGO – “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself because he was unhappy about his salary and wanted to promote his career, Chicago’s police superintendent said Thursday.
Before the attack, Smollett also sent a letter that threatened him to the studio in Chicago where “Empire” is shot, Superintendent Eddie Johnson said.
Smollett, who is black and gay, turned himself in Thursday to face accusations that he filed a false police report last month when he told authorities he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and antigay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, police said.
The actor “took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson told reporters at a news conference.
“This publicity stunt was a scar that Chicago didn’t earn and certainly didn’t deserve,” he added.
Prosecutors said Smollett gave detailed instructions to two brothers who helped him stage the attack, including giving them specific slurs to yell and telling them to shout “MAGA country” and to drape a rope around his neck.
Smollett even pointed out to the men a specific surveillance camera that he thought would capture footage of the beating, Assistant State’s Attorney Risa Lanier told a news conference. Police say the camera was pointed another way.
At Smollett’s first court appearance, a judge set bond at $100,000, meaning that he must post $10,000 to be released. Smollett’s attorneys asked for him to be released on his own recognizance, but the judge, who is also black, said that was inappropriate and that he was particularly bothered by the allegations involving the noose on Smollett’s neck.
Smollett said little during the hearing, except to state his name. He was joined in the courtroom by family members.
The companies that make “Empire,” Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television, issued a statement Thursday saying that they were “evaluating the situation” and “considering our options.”
In less than a month, Smollett went from being the seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being accused of fabricating the entire thing. The 36year-old was charged Wednesday with felony disorderly conduct, a charge that could bring up to three years in prison and force the actor to pay for the cost of the investigation into his report of a Jan. 29 beating.
Police treated Smollett as a victim until the two brothers, who had been taken into custody for questioning, admitted to helping him stage the attack, Johnson said.
The brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, were held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of assaulting Smollett.