Die Wahrheit über Jussie Smollett?

When Netflix dropped The Truth About Jussie Smollett? On August 22, 2025, it came dressed up as a thoughtful, "multi-perspective" documentary-complete with a question mark poised to signal fair-mindedness. But make no mistake: this film feels more like a cleverly disguised PR vehicle than an honest investigation.

From the get-go, director Gagan Rehill levers the ambiguity of the case-conviction, reversal, competing narratives-to nudge the viewer toward one conclusion: that Smollett's version deserves equal weight. But one can't help but notice the heavy-handed framing. The central tension the doc presents-hate-crime victim or schemer-for-hire-leans uncomfortably toward absolving Smollett, despite the mountain of evidence suggesting otherwise.

Let's be clear on the facts: Smollett was found guilty in 2021 of staging the attack and filing a false police report-convicted on five felony counts and handed a jail sentence. Yes, his conviction was overturned in 2024-but not because the evidence was exonerating. The Illinois Supreme Court reversed the verdict on narrow due-process grounds: prosecutorial misconduct, not innocence.

Yet the film props up Smollett's denial as the moral high ground. One can't help but feel the editing hand gently sets him up as a misunderstood martyr. Meanwhile, you'd expect a fair documentary to weigh the testimonies of the Osundairo brothers-who claimed he hired them to stage the attack-against his increasingly polished defense. Instead, the editing gives Smollett far more sympathy, even as legal documents still imply serious wrongdoing.

And how about that question mark in the title-it smartly deflects criticism. "Oh, it's just asking questions," they'll say. But let's be honest: we all know it's not an open-ended inquiry. It's a Trojan horse for redemption TV.

At the end of the doc, Netflix's armchair detective stance invites viewers to re-evaluate the story of media overreach, police screw-ups, fractured narratives, and institutional bias. Yet what's glaringly omitted in that invitation is the clear line between investigative nuance and sympathy laundering.

Closing Thought (with a wink at Netflix's weakness for edgy doc series): If Netflix is so committed to making every controversial figure "complex," why not go bigger? Maybe they'd like to air Onision's YouTube "documentaries" next-where he claims (with equally persuasive logic and zero evidence) that he's innocent too, because, well... words and feelings.

Jessie's commitment to the part was impressive.. never broke character and and his true believers that were also interviewed bought it hook line and sinker. Regarding the presentation it gave equal time to the truth and worth watching. Ola and Bola are hilarious and their attorney Gloria was so down to earth.

While the documentary is well-made, with strong cinematography and storytelling, it ultimately feels like a missed opportunity to explore the deeper political context.

Rather than providing clarity, it seems to leave just enough ambiguity to allow room for manipulation. Many believed from the beginning that political motivations were at play in Jussie Smollett's actions, yet the film avoids thoroughly investigating who else may have influenced or stood to benefit from the situation.

The incident occurred during a peak in identity politics and social advocacy in 2019, a time when public outrage-particularly within the Black community-was often leveraged to push broader LGBTQ political agendas. This dynamic, and the psychological or strategic motivations behind such acts, is notably absent from the documentary's analysis.

There's also little discussion of the broader industry or political context-especially potential connections to figures like Lee Daniels or organizations like GLAAD, who may have had vested interests in shaping the narrative. Instead, the film leans toward rehabilitating a story that, for many, never felt credible and was even offensive to real victims. Comparing sexuality-based discrimination to the historical trauma of racial violence, for political gain, is a line that deserves much more scrutiny.

The documentary would have been far more compelling had it examined the complex intersection of media, activism, and Hollywood influence with the seriousness it deserves. Jussie employed a false equivalence tactic to manipulate public sentiment-but he was not acting alone.

I'm embarrassed for Netflix. Jussie can't help himself and it's obvious this is a desperate pitch to resurrect his career. But Netflix is just showing their desperation (and flaunting their politics) with this very weak "documentary". I will seriously consider ending my Netflix subscription once the last season of 'Stranger Things' has ended.

What was the point of this documentary? After watching the Jussie Smollett Netflix documentary, my opinion hasn't changed if anything, he looks even more guilty. This whole thing is a cringe-worthy disaster. He's doubling down instead of owning up, and it's almost painfully pathetic to watch. The guy torpedoed his own career, and anyone still defending him is willfully ignoring reality or just plain stupid.