Jussie Smollett refuses to tell the truth: the actor’s “attackers”

Ola and Bola Osundairo, brothers recruited by Jussie Smollett in 2019 for his alleged scheme, say the disgraced actor refuses to admit guilt.

Smollett, who is black and gay, accused his “attackers” of shouting racist and homophobic slurs at him before throwing a noose around his neck in Chicago six years ago.

In 2021, the actor was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct after it was revealed that he organized the attack. Testimony at the trial showed that he paid the brothers, whom he knew from the TV show “Empire,” $3,500 to carry out the “attack.”

The pair joined NewsNation’s “Dan Abrams Live,” with Ola Osundairo wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat, to dissect the incident and the recent court ruling in the case.

“Jassi is a great actor. He’s good at what he does and… people really trust him,” Bola said. “But every time I listen to him, and I hear him, I’m disappointed because he doesn’t—and can’t—tell the truth.”

Their remarks come just days after the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor’s planned attack conviction, ruling that he should not have been prosecuted a second time because the charges were initially dropped and Smollett had already struck a deal with the state. Cook County. law office.

“My reaction to the court’s decision was that it made sense,” Ola Osundairo said. “The real injustice here was the sweetheart deal that (Cook County Prosecutor) Kim Foxx made with him in the first place, which allowed him to continue and maintain his innocence.”

Foxx, who recused herself after communicating with a Smollett relative during the investigation, reiterated that she welcomes an independent investigation into how she and her office handled the case.

The brothers wrote a book, “More Than Jussie: The Disturbing Demand of Modern-Day Lynching,” and told NewsNation they were “looking forward to putting all this behind them.”

“We think and believe that the truth must be revealed to help people who find themselves in the situation that we found ourselves in, such as making a mistake,” Bola Osundairo said. “A mistake doesn’t have to define you, you can move forward by making a mistake and that’s what the book helps us tell you.”

WGN’s Angelique Sanchez, local affiliate of NewsNation (NN), Marisa Rodriguez, Andy Koval contributed to this report. NN is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.

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