Source: Joseph Marzullo/WENN.com / WENN
For nearly three years, Americans have been
following the ongoing saga between
Jussie Smollett and the Osundairo brothers.
This week, the actor and singer’s trial began, and although
Abimbola Osundairo claimed he did not have a sexual relationship with Smollett (but was instead hired by Smollett to carry out
the alleged January 2019 hate crime that started it all), Smollett testified that they did hook up. According to Smollett, they did drugs and visited bathhouses together — but apparently, in
Olabinjo Osundairo‘s presence, younger brother Abimbola was less open about his sexuality.
Smollett is being accused of teaming up with the Osundairo brothers to stage his own attack, while Smollett’s defense team has claimed the Osundairos attacked him because they didn’t like him (or the fact that he is gay), and quickly realized their opportunity to extort money from the actor when the police started asking questions.
“Prosecutors allege Smollett came up with the scheme because he was upset the
Empire studio refused to take hate mail he had received seriously. But on Monday, Smollett insisted he had actually rejected the studio’s offers for additional security and said Abimbola had repeatedly insisted that he should become his security guard, which Smollett regarded as a ‘running joke,'”
TheDailyBeast notes, adding “The Osundairo brothers alleged last week that before the incident, Smollett had asked the two men to conduct the fake attack in front of a surveillance camera and had hoped to post video of the assault to social media as part of a publicity stunt, they said. Authorities asserted that texts and accounts from two people tied to the star supported allegations that Smollett had hired his attackers to boost his national profile.”
See reactions from social media below.
