The case of Jussie Smollett is a strange one. He disrupted his life and his career with stupidity.
“B-list actor“, Jussie Smollett, had an occurring role on the hit show EMPIRE. He wanted a raise, perhaps a more significant role, and he came up with a PR scheme that would play the race card in the city of big shoulders, where race is always an issue.
So, on an arctic cold day, when Chicago had shut down, Smollett, just arriving home to his Streeterville neighborhood apartment from a four-hour delayed flight from New York around 1:30 a.m., decided he wanted a Subway sandwich. So, he leaves his apartment building attended by a doorman and walks to get a tuna sandwich. He meets trouble along the way, so he says.
Two Nigerian brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who were his friends/trainers/lovers, beat him up and placed a noose around his neck, suggesting a lynching. Then he put on a red cap indicating TRUMP supporters are guilty of such a crime on the Black gay guy. Is this a hate crime? The Nigerian brothers who beat Smollett were charged with saying, “This is MAGA country.” Not quite Chicago dialogue. The hate crime theory was stupid and weak. Real Chicagoans saw the hoax immediately. You didn’t have to be a detective, a psychologist, or such to see the big lie. It was so apparent.
This stupid story sounds like a script for a movie or a TV show. It didn’t work, and everybody who heard it knew it was a fabricated tale. Mr. Smollett didn’t realize this is Chicago, where the real deal works, not the fairy tale. This stunt might have been successful in Hollywood, where the rich and famous dwell, but not Chicago. Chicago is a solid city, and we see it coming. The Nigerian brothers are gay. Really. That means they can’t go home again, to a country where gay is not so open. On the witness stand, they had sex with Smollett, and then one brother said he didn’t remember. Okay.
Here’s the real deal, too much press attention has been given to the case. I have not written one word on the matter, thinking it was indeed a lie and a waste of time. Too much ink and too much TV time have been spent on Smollett’s stupidness. Chicago police, under the leadership of former Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, spent real-time, to the tune of 30 detectives on the case, to validate the truth of the crime. Real money was spent, perhaps a million dollars. And at one time, it was suggested that Smollett reimburse the police department for its time and expense. Not a bad idea. Perhaps the city can sue Smollett for a waste of time.
Chicago’s precious taxpayer dollars were wasted. Real dollars that could have been spent on real crimes. Chicago crime is at an all-time high and is soaring daily. Carjackings, babies being shot, robbery, stores being looted, and on and on. The typical daily activity for Chicago is being threatened from grocery shopping, Christmas shopping to walking down the street to buy a newspaper. And where are the detectives for the Black women who are missing and disappearing?
How many detectives are on their cases? Chicago, the city of clout, took Smollett way out of proportion. His celebrity got him coverage even police coverage and Cook County State Attorney Kim Fox turned her head and his stupid act may cost her an election. She mishandled the case, speaking loud to inexperience, or did she get intimidated by the show biz world. Or did a big wig political type call her? Will we ever know?
Smollett killed his promise. He was found guilty of 5 counts of “disorderly conduct.” He staged a hate crime. The three-year constant media diet of Smollett is over, tried and the actor got on the witness stand to continue his lie against the brilliant lawyering of Dan Webb. Not the thing to do in the city that works.
Smollett got a great publicity hit, but at the end of the day, he has probably hindered or killed his career. Maybe his united family front will influence the judge. Maybe they will make a Netflix documentary on the happenings of the demise of a “B-List” actor. Smollett can get sentenced to a maximum of 3 years in jail. Perhaps he will get a light sentence and community service. This is Chicago, so does the community service have to be served in Chicago or can he return to Los Angeles.? Can he act if he is serving time for community service? Will he write a book with all of the sensationalism? Will EMPIRE return to television? Will he record a new album to sing about his agony?
It is time for us to dismiss Smollett. Enough already. There is so much news to cover. He is the actor who told a big lie and canceled his very own career. The police come up with the right conclusion from the get, that made Eddie Johnson hold a press conference to say this was “deplorable.?
Now, let’s move on.
