By Scott Olson/Getty Images.
The Jussie Smollett case has not gotten any less messy—or confusing. The $3,500 check that Smollett allegedly used to pay brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo to stage a hate crime against him in January includes a memo line that reads, “5 week Nutrition/Workout program (Don’t Go).” Sources close to Smollett—who has maintained his innocence since formally being arrested for filing a false police report—say the Empire actor did not pay the brothers to attack him, but instead hired them to help him lose weight ahead of a music-video shoot. ABC News obtained a copy of the check that shows that memo line, as well as text messages between Smollett and one of the brothers regarding nutrition and exercise that seem to support that narrative.
Still, during an interview Monday with Good Morning America, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson maintained that during their police interrogation, the brothers indicated that the check was given to them explicitly for the attack—and that police have additional evidence supporting this theory that has not been made public yet.
Smollett has consistently denied staging his attack. In their most recent statement on Smollett’s behalf following an impassioned police briefing—and Smollett’s arrest—the actor’s attorneys wrote, “Today we witnessed an organized law-enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”
Johnson seemed to directly respond to that statement at the top of his G.M.A. appearance, which he began by saying, “Let me just put this out there first and foremost: that right now, [Smollett] still has the presumption of innocence, until he has his day in court.” When G.M.A.’s Robin Roberts asked Johnson why the Osundairo brothers changed their story—confessing to their alleged crime just one hour before police would have had to let them go—Johnson replied, “You know, we worked very closely with their lawyer. And their lawyer went in there and talked to them and whatever she said to them apparently got through to them to just tell the truth about what happened. And that’s what they decided to do.”
“It’s important for people to recognize that it’s not the Chicago police saying he did something,” Johnson said. “It’s the evidence, the facts, and the witnesses that are saying this. So our job is to investigate it and bring the facts and the evidence to the state.”
Roberts asked whether the brothers explicitly said that Smollett’s check was meant to pay them for attacking him; Johnson answered in the affirmative. Before he left, Johnson added, “I can tell you this, Robin. There’s a lot more evidence that hasn’t been presented yet that does not support the version that [Smollett] gave us. . . . There’s still a lot of physical evidence, video evidence, and testimony that just simply doesn’t support his version of what happened.”
Smollett has been removed from the final two episodes of Empire Season 5. Fox has yet to renew the drama, but reports have emerged that if it does return for a sixth season, his role—middle child Jamal Lyon—might be re-cast. (Representatives for Fox and Empire have not commented on the matter.) Over the weekend, however, Terrence Howard became the first Empire cast member to speak publicly in support of his colleague after his arrest.
On Instagram, Howard wrote, “All your lil homies got you… We love the hell outta you 
.” When a fan criticized the actor for supporting Smollett, Howard replied, “Sorry you feel that way but thats the only Jussie I know. The Jussie I know could never even conceive of something so unconscious and ugly. His innocence or judgment is not for any of us to decide. Stay in your lane and my lane is empathy and love and compassion for someone I’ve called my son for five years. It’s God’s job to judge and it’s ours to love and hope, especially for those that we claim to have loved.”
But even that detail does not come without its own complication. According to TMZ, Howard had a meltdown on the set of Empire following Smollett’s arrest, and the actor was allegedly not present when Smollett met with his colleagues hours afterward. He also allegedly grilled Smollett about his alleged attack as skepticism emerged around his story. Sources told TMZ that the actor refused to come out of his trailer for most of the day, and that one of the reasons Smollett was removed from the series was because Howard and others among the cast believed that he was lying about the attack.
Representatives for Fox and Howard did not immediately respond to V.F.’s requests for comment. In its most recent statement regarding Smollett following the actor’s arrest, the network wrote, “We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”
More Great Stories from Vanity Fair
— What 2019’s Oscar nominees wore to their first Oscars
— Is this the anti-Bachelor dating show we’ve been waiting for?
— It’s good to be Regina King
— Just how millennial is Armie Hammer?
— The inimitable Glenn Close and her seven Oscar-nominated roles
Looking for more? Sign up for our daily Hollywood newsletter and never miss a story.
This story was originally published by Vanity Fair
via USAHint.com
No comments:
Post a Comment