According to Chicago police, the Empire star Jussie Smollett mailed himself a threatening letter then staged a hoax attack on himself because he was unhappy with his Empire salary.
At an extraordinary press conference, Chicago Police Department Chief Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson abhorred him as a ‘troubled young man’ who has ‘taken advantage of the pain and anger of racism to further his career’ by allegedly lying that he was attacked by racist and homophobic assailants on January 29.
Smollett makes $100,000 per episode of Empire and there are 18 episodes in the current season which earns him $1.8million. He also has a record deal with Columbia Records.
The superintendent called for ‘absolute justice’ which he said amounted to Smollett apologizing and offering to pay for the police resources he wasted.
President Trump has also called for the actor to apologize for making it appear as though he was being targeted by one of them.
Police have found phone records which they say prove Smollett spoke with brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo an hour before the attack, an hour afterwards and while they were in Nigeria, keeping their heads down, while the case gained global attention.
Smollett is in custody awaiting his first court appearance on felony charges of filing a false police report and disorderly conduct.
