Former Empire star Jussie Smollett testifies in court, says attack "was no hoax"
The actor is currently facing half a dozen felony charges for allegedly staging a hate crime
Actor Jussie Smollett has testified in court today, asserting that the violent attack he endured in January 2019 “was no hoax.”
“To answer all your questions about the hoax I am going to deny,” Smollett said, according to CBS. “There was no hoax.”
Taking the stand in the Chicago courtroom in his own defense, Smollett recalled an attack by two men. He says that in addition to throwing punches, wrapping a rope around his throat, and pouring bleach on him, the men hurled racist and homophobic slurs. In court, the actor described the attack as “something out of Looney Tunes adventures.”
Smollett also attested that he did not pay two men—named Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo—$3,500 to carry out the attack, calling the theory floated by Chicago police “fully false, 100 percent false.” Both Abel and Ola testified last week that Smollett asked them to “beat him up,” and went with them to scope out the Subway location where the attack took place.
