Earlier this year in late January, “Empire” star Jussie Smollett claimed he was assaulted by two men who forced a rope around his neck and poured bleach on him while yelling racial and homophobic slurs.
Smollett, 36, was found guilty of falsely filing a police report and is expected to spend up to three years in jail. Smollett’s bond was set at $100,000 when he attended his court hearing last Thursday morning.
Chicago police have reported Smollett orchestrated the attack by paying two men $3,500 to strike him in front of one the city’s many surveillance cameras, which he later devised as a hate crime against him for being gay and black. Chicago police claim he planned this attack because he was displeased with his salary on his show.
The Daily Helmsman reached out again to the students who spoke about the Smollett case in a previous article to get their updated opinions about this new information. Devante Woodson and Brandon Howard, who previously spoke with the Helmsman and are both black and identify with the LGBTQ community, said they were disheartened with the updates on the case.
“The case overall is one big mess,” Howard said. “Information is being released too fast, and despite being arrested, I feel everyone should wait until the final verdict is heard.”
Woodson said his feelings were more directed towards the actions of the Chicago Police Department.
“I am to the point where I have lost hope in the Chicago Police Department,” Woodson said. “I am also sad to say I have no clue whether to advocate for Jussie or investigate him myself. The whole case is a mockery of the justice system.”
Prosecutors have identified the two men who were paid to execute the assault by the names of Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo. It was also stated that they were close friends with Smollett and worked together on the Fox show.
Smollett was suspended from “Empire” because of the false allegation. 20th Century Fox Television provided a statement on the circumstances to the show’s executive producers.
“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” the company said in a statement. “While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal (Smollett’s character) from the final two episodes of the season.”
Many people online have expressed their frustration with the situation, declaring the false allegation causes harm to others by making it seem like actual attacks should not be taken seriously.
Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson spoke about the updates on the case on “Good Morning America” on Feb. 25 and about the evidence proving Smollett had lied about being attacked and that he had given Smollett the benefit of doubt.
Smollett’s next court hearing date is scheduled to be March 14.
