Jussie Smollett arrived at court for the first day of his his hate crime trial in Chicago.
Jussie Smollett arrived at court for the first day of his hate crime trial in Chicago on Monday, Nov.29 with family by his side. The Empire actor,39, is accused of filing false reports about being the victim of racist and homophobic attack in 2019. A grand jury indicted the actor, who is openly-gay, of six counts of disorderly conduct on suspicion of making false reports to Chicago police in February 2020, but Jussie has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty. The actor has been accused of orchestrating his attack by hiring brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to take “advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” per authorities. The brothers confessed to the plot, claiming to authorities that Jussie first “attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language” before the attacks.
