Jussie Smollett’s Brother JoJo Smollett Pens Essay – What If He Is Telling The Truth? 

Jussie Smollett, JoJo Smollett

Jussie Smollett’s Brother JoJo Smollett Pens Essay – What If He Is Telling The Truth?

Jussie Smollett’s oldest brother, JoJo Smollett, has spoken out for the first time about allegations that the Empire actor staged an attack against himself. He defended Jussie in a personal BET essay and urged readers to truly consider if he could have been actually telling the truth.

Jussie Smollett and Siblings

He first discussed the backlash his brother has received before he called out the Chicago Police Department for how they handled the case.

“IT HAS NOT YET BEEN 90 DAYS since my younger brother, Jussie Smollett, was assaulted on a cold winter night in Chicago. Within less than three months, his life has been turned upside down as my family and I have witnessed him endure unrelenting attacks to his character and reputation. Like so many others, this entire process quickly devolved from a focus on him as a victim of assault, to him being falsely accused and held responsible for a crime that was perpetrated against him. To define this experience as unjust would be an understatement.”

Jussie Smollett

“After several leaks from “unnamed” police sources and despite a long history of wrongful accusations from the Chicago Police Department, many in the media accepted these unconfirmed reports as fact. The numerous police leaks, which prompted an internal Chicago Police investigation, convicted Jussie in the court of public opinion before he even entered a courtroom.”

JoJo then attempted to debunk the two Nigerian brothers’, Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo and Abimbola “Abel” Osundairo, claim that Smollett paid them to attack him.

“On February 14, the day that the Osundario brothers were brought in for questioning as suspects, Fox News reported that the Chicago Police Communications Director, in response to leaked sources within the department, had begun spreading the word that Jussie had supposedly staged the attack, stated that the police chief “has contacted @ABC7Chicago to state on the record that we have no evidence to support their reporting and their supposed CPD sources are uninformed and inaccurate. If the CPD had no evidence to support the idea of a hoax, prior to interviewing the Osundarios, then they base their whole case against Jussie on that interview. The police chief later admitted that the men made no mention of a hoax until the final hour that they could legally be held.”

“By this time, Jussie had already refused to sign a complaint against the Osundarios, convinced that these men, one who he had considered a friend and the other an acquaintance, could not be his attackers. Most importantly, detectives refused to show Jussie video, photos, or any evidence to prove they were the attackers. The fact that these two brothers, who in the final hour confessed to attacking my brother yet say it was Jussie who told them to, is all the evidence that the police and the general public needed to be convinced, should be frightening to everyone.”

“Is that all it takes to destroy a lifelong dedication to one’s craft and community? Is it really that easy to convince the world of a person’s guilt? Is that all it takes to turn someone’s life upside down in America? Simply ask yourself this, ‘What if Jussie is telling the truth?'”

He added more issues he had with the case, such as there not being any “solid evidence” that proved Smollett staged the whole thing and it was a hoax.

“With not one inkling of solid evidence, many believed the false witness testimony from two suspects who turned into witnesses, even though they lacked standard credibility. It was under-reported that one of the “witnesses” had previously been arrested for attempted murder ending with a plea deal for aggravated battery, or that the brothers repeatedly expressed homophobia on their social media in the past. Additionally, it was never reported that they changed their story while under police interrogation.”

He then spoke on circumstantial evidence that didn’t add up, such as a check from Jussie to the brothers actually being for training, and not a payment for the allegedly staged attack.

“After the initial reporting about a “check” paid to allegedly stage the incident, which turned out to have been a check for personal training and nutrition, other inconsistencies came out where the public accusations did not match up against the truth.”

“One important note, the Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department announced publicly that Jussie’s motive in staging an attack was so he could make more money from Empire. Fox immediately said that wasn’t true but the police chief never withdrew his accusation. The chief also stated as fact that Jussie had sent himself the threatening letter that arrived at the Empire production offices weeks before the attack. The FBI then refuted this claim. Again, the chief did not correct his accusations. Letting it float for the public to either believe or not.”

“After several of these examples, anyone would have concluded what we knew — that the entire police case rested on two witnesses that lacked credibility and there was no physical evidence tying Jussie to this crime.”

He included a message for Jussie’s critics and asked,

“While very few people are courageous enough to swim upstream and resist the popular conformity of the day, I still can’t believe how many people failed to ask the question: “What if Jussie is telling the truth?”

He also revealed Jussie didn’t want to tell the police about the alleged attack, but his choreographer urged him to.

“[Jussie] was weary and didn’t care for the unnecessary attention it might garner.His choreographer insisted, and the choreographer contacted the police himself. It should be noted: if he staged the attack for publicity to boost his career, as alleged, why would he not want to make the incident public?”

Still, it looks like Smollett might have warmed up as he did a TV interview with Good Morning America about the reported assault.

JoJo ended his message with how Smollett is currently doing, especially financially, after waiving his $10,000 bail after the charges against him were dropped.

“Today, unfortunately, he finds his livelihood in jeopardy. Jussie was concerned that forfeiting the $10,000 bail could look like an admission of guilt. In fact, not paying, and proceeding with a potentially multi-year process that would bankrupt him and his career was not a realistic option. Even now he carries immense financial burdens for his legal defense and security needs.”

Jussie first alleged he was attacked by two White men who were supporters of President Donald Trump back in January. He said they yelled homophobic and racial insults while adding,

“This is MAGA country.”

Donald Trump

MAGA stands for “Make America Great Again,” a phrase coined by Trump. There were also reports that the alleged attackers poured an unknown substance, reportedly bleach, on him and tied a noose around his neck. The attack was said to happen in the middle of the night in Chicago. Still, while dozens poured out their hearts for Jussie, it later came out that the attackers were possibly the two brothers.

They were spotted purchasing a rope and other items allegedly involved in the attack, and had a receipt from a nearby store. Interestingly enough, things really switched gears when they claimed Jussie hired them to attack him. While Jussie maintained his innocence, the Chicago Police Department called him out and said he staged the whole thing because he was unhappy with his Empire salary. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s office ended up charing Jussie with 16 felonies for allegedly filing a false police report. While those charges were later dropped, it’s safe to say Jussie’s name is still tainted when it comes to public opinion.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!