Jussie Smollett: Not Found Guilty

CHICAGO -- Why would someone construct his or her own hate attack? That’s the question everyone is asking in the shocking case surrounding “Empire” actor Jusssie Smollet.

How did this rising star of the talented Smollet family of entertainers go from the beloved gay singer on the hit Fox TV show and heir to the “Lyon Dynasty” to the subject of memes, investigations and ridicule?

According to Chicago police, it is because of his own doing.

On Jan. 29, Smollett reported he had been attacked by two men wearing MAGA (Make America Great Again) hats. He claimed the men shouted racist and homophobic slurs while beating him, then poured an unknown liquid on him.

The attackers were later revealed to be two brothers, Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, who were detained and questioned for 48 hours before confessing to their participation in the attack.

According to the police, the Osundairo brothers say it was no hate crime, as Smollet claimed, it was staged, and orchestrated by Smollet himself.

The Osundairo brothers told police Smollett was allegedly trying to “take advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career.” 

At a press conference, Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson stated that Smollett was "dissatisfied with his salary" on the show. 

I, like so many others, was confused and bothered, wondering, “Who could make up something like this? What could he possibly be going through? What isn't he satisfied about?”

Could his alleged lies discredit claims of hate crimes in the LGBT community?

“What Jussie Smollett did has affected me juristically. It put me in a spot that made me more fearful, yet cautious, with my surroundings because I know there are people out there who don’t like gay people and want to hurt us. I already get looked a certain way and this situation has made it worse,” said Treyvon Gardner, an openly gay student at Texas Southern University.

“I feel like this has just made things more difficult for us gay people because the way he just threw homophobia in his attack makes it seem like it is a problem,” said Charmaine Nealy, another member of the LGBT community on TSU’s campus.

The brothers apologized, saying they regretted taking the job and did not think it would get that serious. They were released from custody and no charges were filed against either of them.

Smollet, however, is facing a tough reality and a slew of charges, 16 felonies to be exact. If convicted, the actor and alleged mastermind faces up to 70 years in prison.

Some say he wanted attention to enhance his career, but we’re now left to wonder, is his career, and more importantly his freedom, over?