Jussie Smollett’s amusing testimony makes everyone look guilty

Sex, drugs and lies. We knew this was coming.

Jussie Smollett defended himself Monday at a criminal trial over whether the actor staged a hoax hate crime involving a noose as part of a dispute with his former employer. ta in 2019. Testimony is the culmination of a story that begins with Smollett’s Trump-era appeal for help after he announced “MAGA “goons targeted him”, only for the police to turn the tide Empire star and say he made it all.

“I’m a black man in America and I don’t trust the police,” Smollett said in testimony, which his defense lawyer later told him before the jury, “your fate is in their hands.” .”

Smollett’s testimony on Monday was clearly designed to discredit the Osundairo brothers, two Black men who are considered key witnesses by the prosecution and claim Smollett paid them $3,500. to launch an attack against him. But aside from steadfastly denying the allegations against him, it has little to do with themes of racism or social justice, and often feels like an episode of a Fox show has make him famous.

Among other highlights, Smollett claimed on the ground that he had an affair with Abimbola Osundairo. Abimbola — who added to the group Empire– denied that in his own testimony.

According to Smollett, Abimbola – who he referred to as “Bon” in his testimony – met him in a VIP section of a Chicago nightclub during season 4 of the show. Empire. That same night, he claimed, the two indulged in cocaine and weed, followed by a sauna session that involved filming gay porn in a bathhouse, where they “played more drugs and we, like, make. There are some touching. ”

Smollett claims it was his first visit to Steamworks, a bathhouse in the Boystown area of ​​Chicago.

“We’re in a club, you go to the bathroom, go to the stall, bump, bump and then just keep going in and then we go to the bathroom,” Smollett said.

This testimony dealt a blow to the credibility of Abimbola, who previously asserted that the two had never had an affair and were just friends. Last week, Abimbola admitted that he went to the bathroom with Smollett when he was thoroughly examined by defense lawyers – but testified that he did not remember watching any of the pornography being broadcast. (Smollett also stated that the two continued to reconnect with Empire booked and engaged in weed and cocaine, with Abimbola being a second provider for him and others who were part of the program.)

“It was part of my relaxation process,” Smollett told the jury about smoking in his car with Abimbola. “I think the car is probably the best place to listen to music to be inspired by yourself.”

These details are spicy and perfect for a gossip column. And Smollett seems to have reinforced the general view that he has no incentive to stage an attack, while insisting he’s happy on the show.

But as someone who covered up the alleged attack when it first happened, I wondered: Any of these details have anything to do with explaining exactly why these men did this to him?

After all, while the defense pointed to at least one witness who told police they may have seen a white man near the attack, Smollett’s best shot at the shot seems to be. clearly. He must convince the jury that these men may have attacked him in their own right. (According to his defense, it was probably to intimidate him into hiring them as security.)

Okay, so one of the Osundairo brothers might not quite come to terms with how close he is to Smollett. I’m still trying to figure out how to convince all of this to convince us that the two of them chose to independently buy bleach, a noose, and brave the extreme cold vortex of Chicago to attack. Smollett’s work at 2 a.m.

Seriously, one would assume that if these men were so interconnected, the brothers would exercise their supposed personal grievances a little more strategically. If anything, the testimony read to me was like an assertion that the relationship between the three men was anything but innocent.

Maybe, like Daytime suggestions, part of the idea for the smog testimony was to help explain circumstantial evidence that indicated Smollett was driving around the site of the attack days earlier. But it often seems trivial and absurd.

When Special Counsel Dan Webb began examining Smollett late Monday, things took a turn for the worse for the actor.

Throughout his testimony, Smollett noted that his personal social justice-politics got into the mix to explain why he was not cooperating with the police. But the moment he chose to talk to them about his attack, he was practically calling the police for help. Later, when authorities asked for information about Smollett’s DNA and phone to help them dig into his alleged hate crimes, he refused, at least in part.

Webb asks Smollett why he’s keeping the details private – and whether it’s because it would tie him up, or else tie him up with the Osundairo brothers.

Smollett responded: “There’s no reason to worry about the Osundairo brothers, because what happened to me happened, so there’s nothing to hide.”

When asked why he had only provided phone records for a short time surrounding the incident in question, including ignoring a call he claimed Abimbola had made with him earlier, he challenged.

“At that moment, I was thinking [Abimbola] had nothing to do with it, so why did I put his phone in? “

But why throw anything away when you have nothing to hide?

In a sense, I can never fully trust anyone who openly admits that they would accept payment to fabricate a hate crime, as the brothers did. But Smollett tried to say a lot in his testimony without saying much, other than no hoax.

Having sex with one of them? OK, interesting.

Was it even drugs with him? Damn it, that’s crazy.

But how do you explain that the planning of this alleged attack has nothing to do with you at all?

On that front, I’m still waiting for an answer.