Crime
CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
After days of uncertainty, Jussie Smollett took the stand in the case surrounding an alleged hate-filled attack perpetrated against him in January 2019. According to authorities, this attack was orchestrated by Smollett to drum up both press and sympathy. But throughout his testimony on Monday, Smollett asserted that he was a victim and did not organize the attack, though he knew the brothers who executed it.
"There was no hoax," Smollett said on the stand in a Chicago court Monday. The prosecution had alleged last week that Smollett had contacted the brothers and laid out the plan to the pair. The three then were caught on camera, in footage shown to the jury, in an alleged dry run ,and Smollett reportedly gave them $100 that they said was for supplies. According to them, he also gave them $3,500 to execute it all.
In his testimony, Smollett said the training was for nutritional and training advice as he hoped to slim down as some on the set of Empire had remarked about his belly. He said that text messages referencing being "on the low" and discreet meetings -- like the one caught on camera -- were about nutritional advice as some of the supplements were illegal in the U.S.
"I am a Black man in America. I do not trust the police," Smollett said of why he didn't and would never call the police -- his creative director, Frank Gatson, did. "I am also a well-known figure at that time and I am an openly gay man. I'm an actor, I want to play a boxer, I want to play a superhero, I want to blow stuff up."
"The moment I got beat I became a f--t who got his ass whooped," he said according to Page Six.
Smollett went further, saying that he met Abimbola Osundairo in 2017 at a club. The pair were working together on Empire at the time. Smollett said that they did cocaine together and then went to Steamworks, a popular bathhouse in Chicago. There, he said they made out. He said on another meeting they did more drugs and masturbated together. Osundairo previously denied that the pair had ever been sexually involved. When asked if he regretted the drug use, Smollett responded, "Of course, I'm sitting here in front of a jury, in front of my mom, having to explain it."
Elsewhere in his testimony, Smollett said that he refrained from providing information to police after he found out that they didn't believe him. He said he learned this from CNN host Don Lemon, who texted him.
Smollett is charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct for making a false police report. He faces up to three years in prison but, if convicted, will likely be placed on probation.
MikelleStreet
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
The horrific reality of transgender individuals in Texas prisons
March 26 2024 4:30 PM
Three more arrested in murder of queer Brazilian politician Marielle Franco
March 26 2024 3:41 PM
New Hampshire advances trans-exclusionary sports bill
March 26 2024 3:24 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedFind your perfect fit with gender-inclusive fashion from The Pride Store
March 26 2024 2:16 PM
Pennsylvania Drag Queen Story Hour canceled amid bomb concerns
March 26 2024 9:50 AM
Trending stories
Most Recent
Recommended Stories for You
Mikelle Street
Mikelle Street is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial across The Advocate, Out, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus.
He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.
Mikelle Street is the former editorial director of digital for PrideMedia, guiding digital editorial across The Advocate, Out, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus.
He has written cover stories on Ricky Martin, Jeremy O. Harris, Law Roach, and Symone.