The actor said he had a sexual relationship with one of his attackers.<\/b>
\nFormer Empire actor Jussie Smollett denied staging a fake hate crime attack as he took the stand Monday in his trial, where he claimed that the money he paid his alleged attackers was for legitimate business expenses and he had previously done drugs and had a romantic relationship with one of the men involved. \u201c[Smollett] During cross examination, Smollett is expected to face questioning as to why he didn\u2019t help police in investigating the attack on him. Last week detective Detective Michael Theis testified that Smollett was uncooperative during the initial investigation into the attack, and that his probe ultimately determined that Smollett staged the attack on himself. In January,2019, Smollett told police he was attacked in the middle of the night on the street by two men who put a noose around his neck and yelled \u201cMAGA country\u201d at him because he is Black and openly gay. The Osundairos were arrested the next month, though they were never charged with anything. Police believe that Smollett staged the attack because he received a threatening letter at the studio where he filmed Empire and felt that executives did not take it seriously enough. Smollett\u2019s attorneys have argued that the actor is \u201ca real victim\u201d of \u201ca real crime.\u201d Smollett testifies he paid for nutrition advice, not hoax (Associated Press) Jussie Smollett Wouldn\u2019t Help Police During Investigation Of His Hate Crime Allegations, Detective Testifies (Forbes)<\/p>\n