In Chicago, actor Jussie Smollett has been arrested and charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. Smollett is said to have faked an attack that sparked widespread outrage last month. The actor, a star on Fox’s hit TV show “Empire,” told police he was violently attacked on the street in an apparent hate crime. Smollett, who is African-American and gay, said the attackers shouted homophobic and racist slurs, as well as “This is MAGA country,” and placed a rope around his neck.
Police believe Smollett paid two brothers, who were personal acquaintances, to carry out a staged attack. The Chicago Police Department cites records from a hardware store, where the brothers purchased the rope, and surveillance video of them picking up other supplies. Earlier this week, local media reported the attack was planned after a racist letter addressed to Smollett and sent to the “Empire” studio did not receive much attention. The letter contained a white powder which was later determined to be aspirin. The FBI is now reportedly investigating the letter. Jussie Smollett has rejected the recent reports and maintains he gave a truthful account of the event.