In the weeks since Empire actor Jussie Smollett first told police that he had been the victim of a vicious hate crime, the truth about his case has become increasingly murky.
Smollett told police that early on the morning of Jan. 29 in Chicago, two assailants berated him with racist and homophobic slurs, beat him and put a rope around his neck. Given the brutality and hateful nature of the alleged assault —Smollett is an openly gay black actor whose Empire character is also openly gay — his story received widespread media attention almost immediately.
But police have struggled to confirm the details of Smollett’s allegations. Some people now suspect he may be orchestrating a hoax for reasons that remain unclear. After recently releasing two people arrested in connection to the case, Chicago police now want to re-interview Smollett after getting information that “shifted” their inquiry.
“We’re not confirming, denying or commenting on anything until we can talk to him and we can corroborate some information that we’ve gotten,” said police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi on Saturday.
Smollett has repeatedly denied that the alleged attack was some kind of hoax, and has expressed anger that people doubt he was a victim of a vicious hate crime. “It’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth,” he said in a TV interview. “You don’t even want to see the truth.”
Here’s what you need to know about Smollett’s allegations and how the story surrounding them has evolved over time.
January 29
Jussie Smollett reports to police that he was attacked in the early hours of Jan. 29 in downtown Chicago. He says that he was picking up food at a Subway sandwich shop when he was approached by two masked men. The actor claims that the two men beat him while barraging him with racist and homophobic slurs and saying, “This is MAGA country.” The men then allegedly put a rope around his neck, poured an unknown chemical on him and ran away.
Smollett then goes back to his apartment, and his manager calls the police. When the police arrive, they find that Smollett has cuts and scrapes, and that there is a rope around his neck. Police say that the suspects appeared to have beaten Smollett with their hands. Smollett later tells a reporter that he did not take the rope off his neck before police arrived because he wanted to show it to investigators.
After police advise him to seek medical attention, Smollett goes to Northwestern Hospital.
Later that day, police say that they are investigating the alleged assault on Smollett as a possible hate crime.
January 30
Police release surveillance footage that shows Smollett walking to his apartment after visiting the Subway. Later that day, a police spokesperson tweets photos of “persons of interest” in the case.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-lang=”en”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Photos of people of interest who were in area of the alleged assault & battery of Empire cast member. While video does not capture an encounter, detectives are taking this development seriously & wish to question individuals as more cameras are being reviewed <a href=”https://t.co/xJDDygtocr”>pic.twitter.com/xJDDygtocr</a></p>— Anthony Guglielmi (@AJGuglielmi) <a href=”https://twitter.com/AJGuglielmi/status/1090787128030781441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 31, 2019</a></blockquote> https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Police say that there were gaps in the footage, and that none of the video showed an attack on Smollett.
A police spokesperson says the FBI is also investigating a threatening letter that was allegedly sent to Smollett at the Chicago studio where Empire is filmed.
January 31
Police announce that they found footage that shows Smollett arriving at home with a rope around his neck. The footage does not show Smollett being attacked, but police say that they still have a significant amount of video footage to analyze.
February 1
Through his publicist, Jussie Smollett releases his first public comments about the attack.
“My body is strong but my soul is stronger,” the statement says, according to The New York Times. “More importantly, I want to say thank you. The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words.”
Responding to those who have raised suspicions about his claims, Smollett adds that his account had been “100 percent factual and consistent on every level,” and that he is cooperating with authorities.
“Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe that justice will be served,” the statement says.
February 2
In his first public appearance since the alleged attack, Smollett performs at a concert at the Troubadour nightclub in West Hollywood.
“I have so many words on my heart that I want to say, but the most important thing I can say is thank you so much, and that I’m O.K.,” Smollett tells the audience, according to The New York Times. The Times reports that several attendees said that they had bought tickets to the concert specifically to show their support for Smollett.
February 11
Smollett hands over redacted phone records to police. Police later say that the files are too significantly altered to be useful for the investigation.
Smollett later issues a statement to say that the files had been redacted to “protect the privacy of personal contacts or high-profile individuals not relevant to the attack.”
February 13
Two men, who are described as Nigerian brothers, are picked up by police in connection with the investigation at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Smollett’s attorneys later acknowledge that one of the men is Smollett’s personal trainer, who they say had been hired to help the actor prepare for a music video.
February 14
Speaking to Robin Roberts on Good Morning America, Smollett says that he was “forever changed” by the attack.
He adds that he is “pissed off” that some people doubt his version of the attack.
“It’s not necessarily that you don’t believe that this is the truth. You don’t even want to see the truth,” Smollett says.
The police also announce that they are questioning the two “persons of interest” arrested at O’Hare, who they say had been recorded on surveillance cameras near the attack. The two men are not suspects, but are being questioned because they might have been in the area of the attack during the incident, police say.
Later that night, the Chicago Police Department officially disputes news reports citing police sources who claimed the attack was a hoax, saying that the “supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate.”
February 15
Police announce that they have released the two Nigerian brothers without charges. A police spokesperson says that investigators have uncovered new evidence, and that “detectives have additional investigative work to complete.”
February 16
Chicago Police say that they intend to interview Smollett again.
Smollett’s lawyers said in a statement to CNN that the actor felt “further victimized” by accusations that the assault was a hoax.
“Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying,” the statement says.
February 17
Police say that they’re still trying to interview Smollett because the direction of the investigation has “shifted.” One of Smollett’s spokespeople declines to comment on whether Smollett had consented to another interview.
“We’re not confirming, denying or commenting on anything until we can talk to him and we can corroborate some information that we’ve gotten,” a police spokesperson says.
February 18
Smollett’s attorneys say that there aren’t plans for the actor to meet with police for a follow-up interview. A spokesperson for the lawyers says that they “will keep an active dialogue with Chicago police on his behalf,” according to a statement sent to the Associated Press.
