Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax

Here we have an apparently fit, good-looking, talented young man with an extremely high-paying job as an actor in a popular television series and a very promising career in sight well into the future... as long as he doesn't do something astoundingly stupid and screw it all up for himself. Which he does.

Who is ever going to take a chance on hiring Jussie Smollett again? Is his career well and truly over? He was fired from his show, Empire, in (I believe) 2019 when he was arrested by the Chicago Police Department for an arm's-length long list of offences to do with his by then well-known faked "racist/homophobic" assault, and there are no acting jobs listed here on IMDb for him since that time.

It is very difficult to keep the schadenfreude at bay. One does not want to take pleasure in another's misfortune. If "misfortune" can be applied to a case where the individual has manufactured, engineered, planned and plotted the alleged "assault" on himself. Actually, it took place exactly as he planned, so I guess there's no "misfortune" involved in the event and, depending on who you're asking (other than Jussie Smollett and his gullible, blinkered supporters) no misfortune in the long follow-up after. At least not for him. Oh, except maybe he'll never work again in the entertainment industry! The point is: any "misfortune" befalling JS in this whole scenario is nobody's fault but his! He chose this for himself!

Now, on the other hand, I can see misfortune in the many wasted hours of those in the CPD who tirelessly searched for his "racist and homophobic" attackers. As if they don't have better things to do than get sucked into the lies of a narcissistic, self-centred, entitled, delusional liar who just doesn't know when to shut up!

What on earth possessed Jussie Smollett to perpetrate such nonsense? Rumours had it he was hoping to up his public image and get a higher paycheque from the Empire producers. So what's minimum wage for hard-working people doing everyday jobs? And what was JS earning for his Empire gig? Reportedly between $65,000 and $125,000 PER EPISODE!!! And that was not enough? He had to come up with a scheme where Empire would pay him MORE? What kind of a lunatic is that greedy?

As I say, difficult to not feel a little schadenfreude seeing this nitwit charged and put to trial in a NY courtroom. He should be in prison for the waste of time and money he caused the CPD who spent many hours looking for his "attackers."

Oh. Those "attackers"!!! The Osundairo brothers are worth the price of admission to watch this thing. I know it's on television, but I stand by that statement because these guys are a hoot. I believed every word they said. I loved how they backed each other up, each was respectfully quiet as the other spoke, and they seem to have a wonderful, brotherly rapport. And they were funny. I sat there thinking "I love these guys!" I know next to nothing about them, but they were terrific, believable witnesses to this very sad tale.

Well worth a watch, and a cautionary tale for anyone who might be considering doing something really, really reckless in hopes of bettering their position in life. Sometimes it's good to sit still and be grateful for what we've got. Jussie... you listening?

A Black gay semi-famous actor fakes a racist attack to gain fame and attention.

There is nothing new here. It's the case as you know it and basically no new details as there are no interviews with anyone on the Smollett side who knew about the details. We do get an interview with the 2 brothers he hired to attack him. They are very fun and overall it's extremely well-edited and fun all the way. Only the last episode is a tad pointless as it's just interviews that we have already seen. The rest are amazing. Super fun to watch. The story is structured very well with comedic events, fun interviews, lots of passion, and good explanations for each step of the story.

There are some pundits I would say are a bit weird. They invite some right-wing pundits that overplay their hand a bit. Kim Foxx is known for freeing murderers in Chicago that later ended up killing people. She is a Democrat prosecutor the like we see in California and New York. As she has a D next to her name she can't be removed from power in Chicago so she keeps being voted in. These kind of people are extremely lenient and soft on crime. So no wonder cops and Republicans dislike her. But the people interviewed are a bit too emotional about this and don't fully explain the stats and events that made her disliked. Then he let Smollett go with not even a warning. While half recusing herself. Basically saying it while not really doing it. She was still controlling the prosecution and one day just decided to not charge him. Maybe because of a call from the Chicago power couple, the Obamas.

There are also some very progressive women being interviewed too. One supports Smollett and says the police are lying. And that the brothers were likely beaten by the cops to make them tell this fake story. I think this is a bit much too. I don't really think many can believe this when the brothers themselves even now say the police were very nice to them. She is creating a giant conspiracy. In the voluntary interview here the brothers are smiling and telling jokes. I don't see any evidence whatsoever of them making up this story. So her story really needs to be expanded upon. I know her group, BLM, still supports Smollett too. But they too seem extremely biased and confused about even simple matters. I think this story is so clear that these interview segments don't really change the perception overall and won't confuse viewers.

They did miss a few facts. There were a lot of messages between Kim Foxx and other people making deals. Kim Foxx basically laid out the Jussie Smollett tactic telling him to keep to his story. As she was the lead prosecutor he followed this advice and instead of coming clean kept lying. Then his case was dropped - as she clearly had promised him indirectly. But as she had said she recused herself, but not done it, other prosecutors could now retry the case without it leading to double jeopardy. The documentary doesn't really explain any of this and skips most of these messages. But it's still super fun and I'm sure the brothers were paid very well for this. Probably a few $100K each if not more. Honestly, only issue is that it's way too short. The story needed 2-3 hours more to be told fully.