Free Republic

Everybody remembers what happened after actor Jussie Smollett claimed in January of 2019 to have been attacked in Chicago by two men shouting racial slurs and claiming “this is MAGA country.” Comedian Dave Chappelle was among those who noticed right away that “none of these details added up at all,” but politicians who really enjoy stoking the flames of racism ran with Smollett’s claim without question. President Biden and VP Harris have tweets that have aged badly and now have Twitter Community Notes attached: Biden got fact checked on Jouicy… https://t.co/aoMRszzSj1 — EducatëdHillbilly™ (@RobProvince) April 17, 2023 Biden’s getting called...

Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail plus probationThe two brothers who were paid by actor Jussie Smollett to orchestrate a fake hate crime had a message for the country about its "ramifications." Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, nicknamed Bola and Ola, apologized for their role in the 2019 hoax, saying they agreed to Smollett’s terms because they wanted to use his connections as a prominent actor to help them in their own careers. "I just first want to apologize to everyone in the audience, the country and anyone who might have been affected by this directly. When we were...

Early in the morning hours of a polar vortex in January 2019, FOX's "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett claimed two White supremacist Trump supporters attacked him near his Chicago apartment in a racially-motivated hate crime that would soon incite outrage from activists and the media. It's the "hate crime" that dominated headlines, but facts proved none of it was true. In December 2021, the now-40-year-old actor and singer was convicted of five felony counts of disorderly conduct. One year ago, he was sentenced in March 2022 to 150 days in county jail. Brothers Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, Smollett's accomplices...

CU student says Pride Flag was removed, burned, and returned to home By: Colette Bordelon Nov 30, 2022 BOULDER, Colo. — Boulder is typically thought of as one of the most progressive cities in the entire state, but a college student said his Pride flag was vandalized overnight Tuesday, and it's not the first time it's happened. Glacius, 20, said he moved to Boulder to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder, and also because it is such an accepting community. “I can really be myself out here. I can really just show to the world who I really am,"...

A transgender Twitch star claimed she has been forced to move out of her home after being 'harassed and stalked' by people online - who allegedly sent a threat to local politicians under her name, which resulted in her being arrested at gunpoint. Clara Sorrenti, who goes by the name Keffals online, 28, said a SWAT team stormed her home in London, Ontario, on August 5, after someone pretending to be her sent alarming messages to Canada officials claiming she was going to commit 'mass violence.' She claimed that someone 'stole her identity and used it to weaponize the emergency...

Federal agents have arrested a black man in Buffalo, New York, for making a false threat against black people to see whether racists on social media would support him. According to WIVB-TV in Buffalo, Rolik Walker, 24, of Buffalo, was arrested for a tweet he supposedly published on May 16 from an anonymous account. In the tweet, he reportedly threatened that he and his "associates" would be "targeting" Buffalo-area grocery stores and that they were "only looking to kill blacks." Walker, who is black, allegedly issued the tweet under the Twitter handle @ConklinHero just two days after white man Payton...

Jussie Smollett is back in the limelight just 3 months after getting released from prison ... after attending the BET Awards and getting incredulous reactions online. The actor showed up at Sunday night's ceremony in LA, all smiles ... telling ET he's excited to be "expanding his empire." Twitter was on fire as JS walked the red carpet and took his seat ... memes were created in his name, while some called out BET for allowing "race-baiting liars" in its space. Sunday night's host, Taraji P. Henson, has been a vocal supporter of Jussie -- they both worked on "Empire"...

Jussie Smollett starved himself in prison. The 40-year-old actor - who was convicted of lying about being a victim of a racist and homophobic attack back in 2019 and initially sentenced to 150 days in jail in 2021 but was freed after just six days behind bars - admitted that during his brief time behind bars he "fasted" for almost a week in order to achieve a "clear mind." He said: "I was there for six and a half days. I fasted for six and a half days. I was fasting because that's what we do in my family. Like...

Jussie Smollett will make his post-scandal directorial debut on BET+ with the upcoming film B-Boy Blues. It will be the first project for the 39-year-old actor since being found guilty in December 2021 of charges stemming from a fake hate crime against himself. Mona Scott-Young, 55, and her Monami Entertainment has joined the film as a producer and was a key figure in the BET+ deal, according to an article on Wednesday by Variety. Smollett was sentenced in March to 150 days in county jail after being convicted on felony charges over the January 2019 hate crime hoax. He served...

Jussie Smollett chided police and prosecutors and declared his innocence in a song released Friday — three weeks after he was sprung from a Chicago jail while his lawyers appeal his conviction for staging a hate crime.

The Empire star, 39, took to Instagram on Friday and posted a lyric video set to his new tune, Thank You God, where he touches on his recent legal troubles •'Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this ... this ain't that situation / You think I'm stupid enough to kill my reputation?' he sings •'Just simply to look like a victim / Like it's something fun / Y'all better look at someone else / You got the wrong one,' he goes on •The actor notes that '100% of the profits' from the...

VIDEOLEAVE JUSSIE SMOLLETT ALONE!!!That was the message that Will Smith delivered to Chris Rock at the Academy Awards when he smacked the comedian. And a warning to Dave Chappelle: Better stay at least an arm's length away from Will Smith at all times.

CHICAGO (AP) — A judge in Chicago ruled Friday that an attorney for Jussie Smollett might have defamed two Black brothers who testified that they participated in a fake racist and homophobic attack on the actor when she suggested they had been wearing “whiteface.” U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland’s ruling centers on comments Tina Glandian made on NBC’s “Today” show in March 2019, shortly after the Cook County State’s Attorney announced it was dropping charges accusing Smollett of lying to police about the incident two months earlier. Discussing how Smollett had told police that one of his attackers was white,...

Jussie Smollett walked out of a Chicago prison on Wednesday night. An appeals court earlier cleared the way for his release, ordering the actor be released from jail after posting a personal recognizance bond of $150,000, and pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack. The former "Empire" actor was surrounded by security as he exited the Cook County Jail. He did not comment as he got into an awaiting SUV, but his attorneys said he was the target of a racist justice system and people playing politics. Smollett's attorneys had argued...

In a surprising twist of events, recently imprisoned actor Jussie Smollett has officially been granted early release from jail following approval by the appeals court while he works towards getting an overturned conviction on his 5-month prison sentence. TMZ obtained the document that was put in motion today, which states he’ll have to post a $150,000 bond before he can officially be a free man. The doc reads, “This cause having come on for hearing on the motion of the defendant Jussie Smollett, to stay his sentence of incarceration and to grant him a bond pending the disposition of his...

Jussie Smollett's lawyers have wasted no time demanding his release from jail -- at least while his appeal plays out --- claiming he risks being harmed (physically and microbially) every second he stays behind bars. The 'Empire' actor's legal team filed an emergency motion Monday asking a judge to spring Jussie from behind bars while his appeal is pending -- arguing that the potential cons of him staying locked up in Cook County far outweigh any benefits. The crux of their case here is that Jussie's family has been on the receiving end of what they say is a barrage...

Five days into his 75-day jail sentence, Jussie Smollett is now complaining that he is at risk of COVID in jail and is worried about his mental health so should be let out early. Smollett, 39, is being held in the medical unit of the Cook County Jail. His family say he is being held in the psych ward and that there's a note on the door of his cell saying he is at risk of self-harm - which they insist isn't true. They say it speaks to Smollett's courtroom outburst where he insisted he wasn't suicidal and claimed if...

Jussie Smollett believes there's one overarching reason he was sent to jail, and it's not because of the hoax ... he says it's because he's Black. Sources with direct knowledge and in constant touch with the "Empire" actor tell TMZ ... Jussie fully expected to get jail time. He told his defense team before sentencing he felt he would be treated more harshly than other defendants convicted of a non-violent crime ... all because of the color of his skin. He thinks it's more evidence of systemic racism in the judicial system. Jussie told his team after sentencing he was...

Actress Taraji P. Henson compared Jussie Smollett’s fake hate crime sentence to the lynching of Emmett Till in a celebrity-endorsed plea for early release. Henson, who co-starred with Smollett on the Fox show “Empire,” took to Instagram in a display of hashtag activism to make her case. Rather than argue on the merits of innocence or guilt, Henson claims Smollett is facing excessive punishment. “I am not here to debate you on his innocence,” Henson wrote, “but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime.” 0:10 / 50:16 1 seconds... Henson then proceeded to compare the sentence...

Jussie Smollett's brother posted to Instagram on Saturday, claiming the actor was being held in a "psych ward" while incarcerated. Jocqui Smollett posted to the actor's account, which is currently being run by his family, to share the news with his followers. "So Jussie is currently in a psych ward at Cook County Jail. What's very concerning is there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put on the front of his jail cell saying that he's at risk of self-harm," Jocqui Smollett said in the Instagram video. He went on to say that his brother is no...