Actor Jussie Smollett on Wednesday offered fresh criticism of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and the city's former mayor, Rahm Emanuel, calling them "villains" for their role in his conviction over an alleged hate crime hoax.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, originally reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks in January 2019.
He was convicted in 2021 of staging the hate crime himself, but it was later overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court on due process grounds, ruling that Smollett had originally reached an agreement with the state to avoid prosecution. The court did not rule on the actor's guilt or innocence in the case.
"The villains are the two people who assaulted me, the Chicago Police Department and, if I may be so brave, the mayor," Smollett told Variety, referencing Emanuel, who served as the mayor of Chicago from 2011 to 2019.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT DONATES $50,000 TO CHARITY IN CHICAGO SETTLEMENT, MAINTAINS HIS INNOCENCE
Jussie Smollett called the Chicago Police Department and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel "villains" during an interview with Variety on Wednesday. (Nuccio DiNuzzo)
According to Variety, the former "Empire" star alleged that the "Chicago establishment" conspired to frame him and questioned whether Emanuel played a part in covering up evidence in the police killing of a Black teenager in Chicago — a case that led a federal judge to order the CPD to adopt dozens of reforms just two days after Smollett reported being attacked.
"Could it be that they had just found out about the missing minutes and the missing tape from the murder of Laquan McDonald? Could it be that the mayor helped hide that?" Smollett asked, referencing the police killing of teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014. "We’re living in a world where the higher-ups, their main mission, in order to do all of the underhanded things that they’re doing, is to distract us with the shiny object."
Fox News Digital reached out to the CPD and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel for comment but did not immediately receive responses. Emanuel declined comment to Variety.
Variety reported that Smollett became "worked up" as he maintained his original story, that he was attacked by two masked MAGA supporters who shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him before placing a noose around his neck and pouring bleach on him.
While he refrained from criticizing the two brothers who claimed to have helped the actor stage the hate crime hoax, Smollett contended that he is the only person involved with the case whose story hasn't changed multiple times.
"All I can say is, God bless you, and I hope it was worth it," he told the outlet in reference to the brothers. "Every single other person’s story has changed multiple times. Mine has never. I have nothing to gain from this."
Brothers Olabinjo Osundairo, right, and Abimbola Osundairo, say they helped Smollett fake the attack. Smollett denies orchestrating the attack with the two brothers. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file))
In reference to an upcoming documentary by Netflix titled "The Truth About Jussie Smollett?" — which hints that the actor may be innocent after all — Variety asked Smollett why the "exculpatory evidence" of his innocence didn't emerge sooner.
"To be honest with you, I don’t really know," he told the outlet. "I’m not an investigative reporter or a detective. I can’t sit and tell you exactly, beat by beat, what happened. I can only tell you what did not happen. And what did not happen is the story that’s been out there for almost seven years, that somehow I would have even a reason to do something as egregious as this."
Smollett also described how he felt once the CPD shifted its focus from investigating the alleged hate crime to investigating, and eventually arresting, the actor himself. The former "Empire" star likened his experience to that of the late "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, who faced multiple sexual abuse allegations and police investigations before and after his eventual death, which Smollett suggested were part of a broader conspiracy.
Smolett claimed that Emanuel and the "Chicago establishment" conspired against him in 2019 when he was convicted of orchestrating a hate crime hoax. (Getty Images)
"I saw firsthand how narratives are built. I saw firsthand the way that someone can take the exact opposite of who you are and literally sell it," he told the outlet. "And people will be like, ‘I believe it!’ God rest his soul, but homeboy Michael Jackson tried to warn us."
Smollett reached a settlement with the City of Chicago in May, agreeing to donate $50,000 to charity as part of the agreement to have a lawsuit against him dismissed.
Fox News' Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.