Jussie Smollett is done being silent amid his ongoing trial!
The Empire alum opened up about the controversy surrounding his alleged 2019 attack in a rare interview with author and activist Marc Lamont Hill on Wednesday, explaining his legal situation has been “frustrating, to say the least.”
Sharing why he was breaking his silence after so many months, something his attorneys apparently did not want him to do, the 38-year-old said:
“It’s been beyond frustrating, and I certainly am not going rogue. I’m still taking the advice of my attorneys and everything like that, but I don’t really see, honestly, what staying quiet has really done, like, where it has gotten me… It’s so much bigger than me.”
As you likely know, the openly gay Black actor originally claimed in January 2019 that two men attacked him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs.
Related: Kevin Spacey Sued For Allegedly Sexually Assaulting Two 14-Year-Old Boys In The ’80s
Later that year, Chicago Police Department investigators zeroed in on Abel and Ola Osundairo as the two primary suspects in the alleged attack — but when questioned, the brothers told investigators that they were friends with Smollett and were asked by him to stage the hate crime. Police alleged that Smollett paid the brothers to carry out the “attack” because he was dissatisfied with his treatment/pay on the set of the FOX show.
Smollett was accused of staging a hoax, including filing a false police report — and was eventually indicted in March 2019 with 16 counts of disorderly conduct.
But in Jussie’s latest interview, he insisted there was “no reason” why he would ever orchestrate a fake hate crime as a hoax for attention. Noting that the “last thing” he wants to do is “be portrayed as a victim,” the star spilled:
“From the very, very beginning, it was set up to seem like I was lying about something or everything…. there would be no reason for me to do this.”
That’s right, y’all: he’s suggesting the Chicago P.D. and the Osundairo brothers have been conspiring against him this whole time — just because!
Of course, Jussie has always maintained his innocence in all this, having initially pled not guilty to allegations that he lied to police about the incident. After the charges against him were abruptly dropped by the office of Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, Smollett once again plead not guilty to a six-count indictment by a special prosecutor.
While speaking to Hill, the actor said he’s been “humbled” by the scandal and isn’t expecting the legal action to fall in his favor. He shared:
“I believe I have to give it up to God… They won’t let this go. It doesn’t matter — there is an example being made. And the sad part is that there’s an example being made of someone who did not do what they are being accused of.”
We’ll see soon enough if the court agrees with him!
Until then… watch the star’s latest, lawyer-disapproved interview (below).
[Image via FayesVision/WENN]
The post Jussie Smollett Defies His Lawyers To Give Rare Interview — And Claim He Was ‘Set Up’! appeared first on Perez Hilton.