Chalk up another race hoax. https://abc7chicago.com/sources-smollett-staged-attack-with-help-of-others-allegedly-being-written-off-empire/5138497/
Police said they’re still treating it as an atttack and the production company said he’s not being written off the show. Unnamed sources are claiming it’s a hoax. There’s no evidence that it was staged.
I hope Chicago police subpoena Smollett’s phone records. It will answer plenty of questions for everyone.
I find questioning his story before all the facts are out very disrespectful. Until they are, he should be treated as a victim.
This is a total hoax and it was obvious from day 1. Unfortunately, race hoaxes seem to be becoming more popular. I guess you get more of what you reward.
This is a useful site that aggregates recent race hoaxes and fake hate crimes. It provides as many links to news sources as possible: http://www.fakehatecrimes.org/
I find this ver sad; for Smollen’s sake, I hope it is not a hoax
I certainly don’t want what happened to this guy to be true, because it sounds terribly vicious, and I would hate for people that evil to get away with something like that. On the other hand, hoaxes make it harder for the people who are truly victims to be believed, and it’s likely Smollett’s career is toast if it is. It does sound suspicious that he won’t do a police interview or release his cell phone to them, especially since there are no witnesses. But I’ll keep an open mind and wait, I’m sure the facts will come out sooner or later.
And here’s a website that compiles statistics about actual hate crimes. Because they do actually occur. https://ucr.fbi.gov/hate-crime/2017/hate-crime
As @austinmshauri said above, it’s too soon to jump to conclusions based on unnamed sources.
Anthony Guglielmo, Chief Communications Officer for CPD, tweeted this: “Media reports anout the Empire incident being a hoax are unconfirmed by case detectives. Supt Eddie Johnson has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate.”
20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment released the following statement regarding the reports:
“The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of EMPIRE is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”
It seems clear that there are deep suspicions in the CPD that Smollett is not being truthful and that sources have told the media as much. But they aren’t going to say anything official until they have more evidence. I really hope it was t a hoax. It would be such a tragic thing and make it harder for futiture victims.
I have to admit that early on when this story became public, my BS meter was going off. I hoped I was wrong, but something was not sitting well with this story. I remember having the same feeling about the famous Rolling Stones article about the alleged sexual assault, and I am not one to immediately discount a victim story. I feel it’s very important to give credence to a victim’s claim, to at least investigate it, but sometimes even a victim’s advocate has to acknowledge when something’s just not right. Something about this story didn’t seem right.
On the one hand, I hope my skepticism is wrong, but on the other hand, we should never support dishonesty. The saddest thing about the possibility of this story being a hoax is the damage it does to all the true stories out there that will now be discounted.
I know what you mean about your BS meter, @Nrdsb4. Mine went off also, as often does with Hollywood personalities. I was trying to not be cynical. I still am trying.
I thought this thread would be about Star Wars toys breaking.
I saw this story the first day it was out and red flags went up. This was at the start of the Polar Vortex in Chicago and I just couldn’t imagine it taking place on that freezing cold night, in an alley.
Two guys walking around in MAGA hats (now disputed) yelling “MAGA” and racial and gay slurs at a black guy on the streets of Chicago? Sure, that was always believable, lol. Happens about as often as young white kids yelling MAGA at an older Native American with cameras all over the place, another hoax.
There was apparently surveillance video of Jollett entering his apartment building with some kind of rope or similar dangling from around his neck, no signs of distress, very nonchalant. Grindr hookup gone wrong?
The two people of interest left for Nigeria the night it happened.
I hope it’s not true, but I will admit it smelled ? to me.
Police broke down the door of the persons of interest - pictures in the UK media. “No knock” warrant means there is plenty of evidence against these guys and Smollett that it was a hoax. Reports that he has not in fact been written out of the Empire script indicate it may have worked. For now.
See pictures here: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6708821/Lawyer-two-black-Empire-extras-detained-Jussie-Smollett-attack-says-innocent.html
Wow, I am sorta surprised by some of the comments here. I really hope if I am accused of something that people won’t point to TMZ as a clarifying news media.
I am probably wrong and most of you are correct but I live in Chicago proper. There has been an uptick of assaults in the city for the last 2 years. The Chicago Cubs owner Tom Rickets and our local neighborhood association has hired private security to roam our area to help the police. We are in a “good” area by Wrigley Field. Some even involved throwing a liquid in someone’s eyes. I have never heard of this actor and don’t watch the TV show. What he is stating what happened to him. is not unheard of in Chicago. The area he lives in is a nice part of the city but has undergone increase acts of violence in the past few months, so hearing this didn’t seem unusual. There is no question that gangs and others have figured out causing issues downtown and upnorth is easier then thought. It is changing but sad.
The city has been actually increasing their camera surveillance cameras in the city also the last few years. I hope I am wrong but it would be insane for a known actor to stage an assault. Again, I hope I am wrong here.
He stated they were two white men not Nigerians.
I just read he didn’t want to give up his phone right away. Totally get this. My phone, here you go… No problem but I am not a known actor that has other high profile peoples numbers on my phone. I don’t have pictures that I might not want to be leaked to the media. I get this. So he and his lawyer can go and sit there as they go through his phone. I don’t have a problem with this.
Knocking down a door for a search warrant doesn’t mean much to me. This is Chicago… They have a lot to prove and get right. I have heard there were 5 bottles of bleach and other things still there in the apartment . I have no clue if this is true but doubt people are that stupid to leave that there weeks later if they actually had something to do with it.
Anyway, I would like to think that someone is innocent until proven guilty. I would hope if something was ever against me that, that would happen.
I apologize if I insulted anyone.
My first thought on hearing this story was “Wasn’t it really, really cold that night, too cold for random attacks”, then “Bleach? At what temperature does bleach freeze?”
BTW, I never heard of this guy before this story. So if he wanted publicity as a relatively unknown he certainly got it.
I’m not sure if he actually stated that the alleged perpetrators were white (can anyone link to a source?).
I do know that if he had said the alleged perpetrators were not white, this incident would have not received much, if any, attention (compare with very the recent Jazmine Barnes hoax - media was nonstop with “eyewitnesses” who saw the blue eyes of a white man shooter - and then when the shooters turned out to be black it was all quietly dropped).
The most suspicious part was always the “MAGA” references. Exactly as we saw in the recent Covington Catholic hoax - it turned out no boy ever shouted “MAGA” or anything else like “build that wall!” by the way.
The public is being pushed around at will by the media elite and those who know how to exploit it (on both sides).