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Jussie Smollett confronts hoax allegations in new Netflix documentary
The documentary presents multiple perspectives including Smollett's unreleased footage and legal experts, highlighting a six-year legal saga ending in a $130,000 settlement with Chicago, officials said.
- On August 22, 2025, Netflix premiered The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, a 90-minute documentary re-examining the 2019 saga with Smollett giving his first on-camera account.
- On January 29, 2019, Smollett reported to Chicago Police Department that two assailants attacked him in Streeterville, using slurs, bleach, and a noose, after a threatening letter to Fox/Empire studio.
- Chicago investigators alleged Smollett paid Abimbola Osundairo and Olabinjo Osundairo $3,500 and cited financial records plus footage showing purchases tied to the attack.
- A jury convicted Smollett on five counts, sentencing him to 150 days in Cook County Jail with fines and restitution, but the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction last year and the City of Chicago settled for $130,000.
- The documentary raises allegations that Chicago police may have tampered with surveillance footage missing 10 seconds, while a FOIA-obtained video shows an unmasked suspect near the scene, leaving viewers to weigh competing accounts including those of Chelli Stanley and Anthony Moore.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Not So Fast! Jussie Smollett Alleges Key Evidence Was Left Out Of Netflix Special
Jussie Smollett is determined to clear his name in the alleged botched robbery/assault scheme that halted his career and tarnished his reputation. Source: River Callaway / Getty Though he took part in the new Netflix documentary, The Truth About Jussie Smollett, he is now claiming that key evidence was left out of the final cut of the project. Evidence that he says would further turn the lens on the Chicago Police Department’s cover-up of his at…
Where is Jussie Smollett now? All about the actor's alleged hate crime hoax and new Netflix documentary
The "Mighty Ducks" and "Empire" star is speaking out about his years of legal battles.Christopher Fragapane/FOX Jussie Smollett in his breakout role as Jamal Lyon on 'Empire'Key PointsActor, director, and musician Jussie Smollett landed his breakout role on Empire in 2015, playing Jamal Lyon.In 2019, he claimed to be the victim of a hate crime, but police believed it was a hoax, prompting a years-long legal battle.Smollett is the subject of a ne…
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