Disgraced former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett still maintains that he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago at the hands of Trump supporters in January 2019. During his first interview in nearly two years, 38-year-old Jussie Smollett used his screen time to shamelessly profess his innocence despite police findings.
Jussie Smollett Claims He’s Innocent In Marc Lamont Hill Interview
Yesterday, Jussie Smollett sat down for a virtual interview with former CNN contributor Marc Lamont Hill. During the Instagram stream, the pair discussed Smollett’s case, police corruption, Black Lives Matter, and more.
Ever the opportunist, embattled actor Jussie Smollett made a point to declare himself innocent once more.
“What happened in these last two years, it has humbled me in a way that nobody could possibly understand,” Smollett told Hill. “Out of all these jokers in this entire situation, I am the only human being who has not changed his story one time.”
But, contrary to Smollett’s insistence, Chicago police and prosecutors tell a different story.
Chicago Police Say Jussie Smollett Staged Hate Crime
Back in January of 2019, Smollett made headlines when he claimed that he was jumped in Chicago by two men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. The actor also claimed that his attackers shouted “this is MAGA country.”
After investigating his claims, however, Chicago police officers concluded that he had staged the attack against himself.
The police investigation found that Smollett hired two friends to jump him in the hopes of securing himself a pay raise on “Empire” by playing off the racial and political divides in Donald Trump’s America.
Related: Judge Denies Jussie Smollet’s Bid To Have Criminal Charges Dropped
In this latest interview, however, Smollett swears up and down that he did not stage the hate crime.
“There would be no reason for me to do something like this. There would be no reason for me to do something foolish… and I do think that if you look at all of the things that were happening for me, and then for all of the opportunities and all of the money… whatever, that I have lost at this point, if in fact what they said was true, the smart thing to do would be to admit that. At least there would be a place to work back from. This is bulls—t. It’s bulls—t.”
‘It’s Beyond Frustrating’
Jussie Smollett went on to complain that it’s “frustrating” that he has never been able to tell his side of the story.
“It’s been frustrating to say the least. It’s been frustrating. It’s been beyond frustrating because to be somebody that’s so outspoken, to be somebody that speaks up for so much and speaks up about so many things, it’s been difficult to kinda be, you know, quiet. To not be able to say all of the things that you want to say, to not be able to yell from the rooftop because, I don’t think that people realize I’ve just been wrapped up in some form of a case for the last… approaching, in just a couple months, two years.”
“So it’s been beyond frustrating, and I think that I’m certainly not going rogue, and I’m still taking the advice of my attorneys and everything like that. I just don’t see, honestly, what staying quiet has done, where it’s gotten me. Then there’s the bigger picture that it’s so much bigger than me.”
I can’t personally speak to Jussie Smollet’s acting creds but, once again, it seems that playing the victim comes easily to this guy.
More About:Celebrity Entertainment TellMeNow