Empire actor grew increasingly irritated during exchange with prosecutor during cross-examination on witness stand
Jussie Smollett returned to the witness stand on Tuesday at his trial in Chicago, where the former Empire actor said that claims he staged an anti-gay, racist attack on himself were “100% false”.
Prosecutors continued cross-examining the 39-year-old, who despite appearing calm through several hours of testimony on Monday, grew increasingly irritated during his exchanges with special prosecutor Dan Webb on Tuesday.
Smollett, who faces charges that he lied to Chicago police about the January 2019 attack, sought to refute damaging testimony from two brothers last week.
They said Smollett, who is gay and Black, orchestrated the hoax to get publicity, giving them $100 for supplies and instructing them to place a noose around his neck and yell homophobic slurs. They also said Smollett gave them a $3,500 check to carry it out.
Smollett said he wrote the $3,500 check to Abimbola Osundairo for nutrition and training advice. Asked by his defense attorney if he gave Osundairo payment for some kind of hoax, Smollett replied: “Never.”
Under cross-examination on Tuesday, Smollett said that a few days prior to the alleged attack, he picked up Ambimbola Osundairo in his car to go workout and that Osundairo’s brother, Olabingo Osundairo, came along. Smollett denied the brothers’ earlier testimony that they drove around together – circling the area where the alleged attack...
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