Jussie Smollett Says Chicago Police and Ex-Mayor Targeted Him

Jussie Smollett isn’t backing down from his claim that he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019 — and he’s naming who he believes the real “villains” are. In a new interview ahead of Netflix’s upcoming documentary The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, the former Empire star says his story has never changed, accusing the Chicago Police Department, former Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and his alleged attackers of working against him.

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“The villains are the two people who assaulted me, the Chicago Police Department, and, if I may be so brave, the mayor,” Smollett said, referring to Emanuel, who led the city from 2011 to 2019. Emanuel is also the brother of Hollywood power agent Ari Emanuel.

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Smollett’s accusations go beyond his attackers. He believes Chicago officials had political reasons to discredit him. When asked why the police and mayor would target him, Smollett pointed to the fallout from the 2014 police shooting of Laquan McDonald. He suggested that leaders wanted to distract the public from that scandal. “We’re living in a world where the higher-ups… distract us with the shiny object,” he said.

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Back in January 2019, Smollett reported being attacked by two masked men in Chicago who allegedly hurled racist and homophobic slurs, put a noose around his neck, and poured bleach on him. Within weeks, police accused Smollett of staging the incident with the help of brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo. Prosecutors claimed it was a hoax meant to boost his career, and Smollett was later convicted of filing a false police report. The Osundairo brothers have repeatedly urged him to admit guilt.

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Smollett says he has nothing to gain from lying, insisting his account has remained consistent while others’ stories have shifted. “Every single other person’s story has changed multiple times. Mine has never,” he told Variety.

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Despite the controversy, Smollett is pushing forward with his career. He’s working on new music, acting roles, and directing projects like The Lost Holiday. He’s also set to return to Fox’s Special Forces.

Netflix’s The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, set to premiere August 22, will revisit the case and include Smollett’s side of the story. Whether it changes public opinion remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Jussie Smollett isn’t letting go of his version of events.

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