Empire star, Jussie Smollett charged for faking racist attack

Empire star actor, Jussie Smollett has been charged by the Chicago police for faking a rasict attack and filing a false police report. The Empire star had earlier said he was subjected to a homophobic and racist physical attack by two men in January.

The actor, who is gay, said he had gone out to buy food late at night when two white men hurled racial and homophobic insults at him, punched him, poured a chemical substance over him and put a rope around his neck. The incident had led to an outpouring of support for the actor.

Doubt was later cast on his account after US media reported that police believed he may have paid two American brothers of Nigerian descent, Abimbola ‘Abel’ and Olabinjo ‘Ola’ Osundairo, to stage the attack. One of the brothers is Jussie Smollett’s personal trainer and both have worked as extras on Empire.

On Wednesday a police spokesman said felony criminal charges had been approved against the actor. “Mr Jussie Smollett has been charged for disorderly conduct / filing a false police report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest,” the spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi said.

Earlier on Wednesday, CBS Chicago obtained footage which appeared to show the two brothers buying materials, including ski masks that had allegedly been worn by the actor’s attackers. The brothers, left the US after the alleged attack and were arrested on their return last week. They were later released and are said to be co-operating with the investigation.

Meanwhile, the actor’s role in the hit series, Empire has been slashed since report of his involvement in the attack came to light. From nine scenes, Jussie’s character, ‘Jamal’, has been reduced to four scenes including removing him from a big musical number. It was also reported that he will no longer be the main focus in the remaining four scenes as he would be flanked by a number of cast members, meaning he will enjoy less screen time.