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Netflix doc gives Jussie Smollett platform to say hate crime ‘hoax’ was ‘true all along’

August 23, 2025 | | Print Article

For some reason, Jussie Smollett is back with a new Netflix documentary, and it’s pretty obvious where this is going.

The documentary, titled “The Truth About Jussie Smollett?,” revisits the hoax that led to the downfall of the former “Empire” star and gives him a platform to deny his involvement in the events that occurred. It comes just months after a civil settlement was reached between Smollett and the city of Chicago, and the actor spends a large portion of his screen time defending himself against allegations that he orchestrated his own attack.

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“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether someone likes me or doesn’t like me,” he said. “The fact is: I didn’t do that. And that’s all that matters.”

If you recall, Smollett made headlines in 2019 when he claimed that, while out for a late-night sandwich run, he was attacked by two men who draped a rope around his neck, called him homophobic and racial slurs, and poured bleach on him. Despite an initial outpouring of support from celebrities and politicians, it quickly became apparent that the “attack” wasn’t as black and white as Smollett had made it seem.

On January 29, 2019, city officials sued Smollett, accusing him of not only knowing the alleged “attackers” but planning the entire thing himself. The suit sought $130,000 in reimbursement for the expenses of investigating the hoax. The actor filed a countersuit, denying any involvement.

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To its credit, the documentary also includes an interview with brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, who say they played the role of Jussie’s “attackers” and even wrote a book titled “Bigger Than Jussie: The Disturbing Need for a Modern-Day Lynching.” At Smollett’s trial, the brothers claim they were paid by the actor for their involvement in the fake hate crime.

“I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for Black people, for gay people, for marginalized people,” Abimbola Osundairo said in the documentary.

Olabingo “thought it was crazy” when Smollett approached him, asking him to “beat him up.”

“But at the same time, I’m like, ‘It’s Hollywood.’ This is how it goes,'” the brother said.

The legal proceedings resulted in Smollett being found guilty on five criminal counts of felony disorderly conduct in 2021. He was initially sentenced to 150 days in jail with 30 months of probation, but that conviction was overturned in 2024 by the Illinois Supreme Court.

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The court claimed that Smollett never should have been charged because he had entered a nonprosecution agreement with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Playing the role of a victim once again, the actor said in the documentary that he had been “playing whack-a-mole with rumors, with lies,” but “at a certain point, it’s too many, and you can’t catch them all.”

X users had plenty to say about the new doc:

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Sierra Marlee
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