Jussie Smollett has lashed out at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office, claiming that the office intentionally read him racist and homophobic texts, including one about Donald Trump that also used the N-word.
The superheated series of texts were shared during Smollett’s alleged torture from February 2018 until he filed a defamation lawsuit against two Nigerian brothers accused of being involved in the attack.
In one of the texts, Smollett directed at his friend, Michael Abayomi Adalaide, who is the Assistant State’s Attorney read aloud: “They want to tear you up. They want to slime you to the point you hate the entire world…”
In another text, Smollett wrote to Abayomi: “Your dreads are so damn sexy you just wanna make love to me … are they not right?”
The texts and allegation come on the heels of the two brothers, Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, testifying about the attack to the grand jury, who have been weighing charges against Smollett for filing a false police report.
In the emails shown by prosecutors, Smollett included pictures of the brothers as well as one of an unknown person with the N-word and the words “Fuck Africans.”
Smollett has said he was beaten up by two unknown men on the night of January 29. According to Smollett, one of the men shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him, punched him in the face and poured a chemical substance in his face.
In one message, Smollett called the attack an “attack.”
“If you see me smiling, that’s because I’m not pissed off,” he wrote. “That was an attack. … The worst happened, was unfortunately caught on camera, and sent to the press so we could all bask in it.”
Smollett is facing 15 years in prison and has been charged with felony disorderly conduct.
Jussie Smollett, the actor who plays Jamal on the FOX hit show “Empire,” is facing up to 15 years in prison if convicted of felony disorderly conduct, an alleged false police report for filing a false police report.
In sworn testimony, played Wednesday before a grand jury, Smollett’s two alleged attackers, Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo, both spoke of the staged attack as a racist and homophobic event.
Records show that Smollett had consulted with attorneys for the brothers since February.