Jussie Smollett opens up about alleged hate crime: ‘I felt like I had died'
In the documentary, Smollett describes feeling 'eulogized' and 'emasculated' by the rapid circulation of reports about the alleged attack.
The actor, who starred in Empire, claimed two men assaulted him in Chicago, but brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo later alleged Smollett paid them $3,500 to stage the incident.
Prosecutors claimed Smollett orchestrated the attack due to dissatisfaction with the studio's response to hate mail while on Empire.
Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021, receiving a 150-day jail sentence, but his conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2024 due to a non-prosecution agreement.
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