In the case accusing actor Jussie Smollett of lying about what he said was a vicious attack, one of the two brothers who claims Smollett paid them to fake the attack took the stand on Wednesday.
Smollett, 39, faces six counts of disorderly conduct and is accused of lying to police. The incident in question took place in 2019 when the actor said that two masked men attacked him.
The actor, who is Black and openly gay, told Chicago police that the two men yelled racist and homophonic slurs at him in January or 2019, according to the authorities, NBC News reported.
In the attack, Smollett claimed that the men put a noose around his neck and poured a chemical on him, but the prosecutors say the actor orchestrated the whole "attack." The actor has been accused of paying the two men $3,500 to fake the attack.
On the stand, Osundairo accused Smollett of asking him to "fake beat him up." He added that they talked about who would punch him when the attack occurred.
"I believe he said there was going to be a camera to capture the fake attack — that he wanted a camera to capture the fake attack," Osundairo said.
Osundairo also said he felt as if he owed Smollett when asked why he went through with the plan.
"I agreed to do it, most importantly, because I felt indebted to Jussie," he said. "He also got me a stand-in role on 'Empire,' and I believed he could further my acting career."
Smollett has denied these claims.
Osundairo shared stories about his own acting career, saying he was an extra in the 2015 film "Chi-Raq" and has appeared on Smollett's show "Empire" as an extra regularly.
"We became very good friends," Osundairo said of Smollett. "I would call him my brother."
Related
Related
While Osundairo and his brother Ola were initially detained and suspected of carrying out the attack, Smollet quickly went from an alleged victim to a suspect.
Investigators were told by the brothers that the actor gave them the money they used to buy their ski masks, the rope, and red hats — to make them look like supporters of former President Donald Trump.
As for why the attack was possibly staged, police think it was due to a hate letter sent to the studio where "Empire" was filmed, which Smollett did not think was taken seriously enough.
Police officers involved in the case have testified, but it is unknown if Smollett will take the stand in his own defense.
