Actor Shares How the 2019 Alleged Hate Crime Hoax Continues to Shape His Life and Public Perception
Jussie Smollett is opening up about the deep personal toll the 2019 alleged hate crime incident — and the public controversy that followed — has had on his life, as a new Netflix documentary revisiting the case prepares to debut.
In an interview with Variety, the 43-year-old former Empire star admitted that he still feels “insecure” when meeting new people. “I don’t know if they are coming into the room thinking that I’m this trash person who did something that I didn’t do, or if they are thinking that I am this good person who got a raw deal,” Smollett explained. “I would rather the latter, or for them not to be thinking anything at all.”
The comments come ahead of the August 22 release of The Truth About Jussie Smollett? on Netflix, which will explore the details of the incident that made global headlines.
The 2019 Incident and Its Fallout
Smollett, who identifies as a gay Black man, alleged that on January 29, 2019, while walking home from a Subway restaurant in Chicago late at night, he was attacked by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs, placed a rope around his neck, and poured bleach on him.
Following an extensive investigation, prosecutors claimed that Smollett had staged the attack, paying $3,500 to brothers Abimbola “Bola” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo — who had previously worked as extras on Empire — to participate in the hoax in order to gain media attention.
In December 2021, a jury found Smollett guilty on five felony counts of disorderly conduct for making false police reports. He was sentenced in March 2022 to 150 days in jail, a $25,000 fine, and ordered to pay over $120,000 in restitution to the Chicago Police Department. However, just six days into his sentence, Smollett was released on bail pending appeal.
Overturned Conviction
In a dramatic legal turn in 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett’s conviction, citing the State’s obligation to honor plea agreements. The court determined that Smollett could not be prosecuted a second time after previously accepting a plea deal, stating it would be “fundamentally unfair” for prosecutors to renege on such an agreement.
While the decision was welcomed by Smollett, special prosecutor Dan Webb expressed disappointment, saying he believed the ruling undermined the accountability established in the trial.
A Lasting Personal Impact
Speaking to PEOPLE earlier this year, Smollett reflected on the emotional weight of the case. “I was numb. I couldn’t make sense of what was going on, or what people were thinking,” he said.
Now, more than five years after the incident, the actor admits the shadow of the controversy still looms large — shaping not only how others see him, but how he sees himself.
With Netflix set to revisit the case in detail, Smollett’s public image and the complex legal saga surrounding it are once again stepping into the spotlight.
