empire
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Dis Tew Much: Mayor Rahm Emanuel Plans to Bill Jussie Smollett, Illinois Could Withhold Tax Credits From Empire, and the Osundario Brothers May Have Worn Whiteface?
Charges have been dropped, but it doesn’t look like this entire Jussie Smollett saga has any plans of slowing down any time soon. Smollett claimed back in January that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack. Disorderly conduct and false police report charges against the 36-year-old stemming from that disputed claim were…
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Lee Daniels Presents Unofficial Statement on Jussie Smollett, Says Empire Team Feels 'Anger' and 'Sadness'
The saga surrounding Jussie Smollett is ongoing, and Empire co-creator Lee Daniels has a bit more to say, outside of polished official statements on behalf of the executive team. In early March, Smollett was indicted on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report in connection with the alleged hate attack…
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Empire Showrunner Addresses Rumors; Says Cast Is 'Really Focused' and 'It's Too Early' to Consider the Show Without Jussie
Ever since the microscope has focused on Jussie Smollett as a potential criminal in his previously reported hate crime, rather than the victim he was initially perceived to be, the fate of his Empire character Jamal Lyon has been up in the air. That issue recently escalated when Smollett was indicted by an Illinois grand…
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Osundairo Brothers Apologize for Ruining Black History Month with Their Involvement in Jussie Smollett’s Alleged Attack
“See, what had happened was …” is a staple phrase in black households that typically proceeds a preposterous explanation for questionable behavior. But since Abimbola “Abel” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo—the Nigerian-American siblings involved in the allegedly bogus attack on the self-proclaimed “gay 2Pac” Jussie Smollet—aren’t in a position to further incriminate the Empire star who’s…
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Jussie Smollett’s ‘Jamal’ to Be Removed from Final 2 Episodes of Season 5, Empire Executive Producers Confirm
Jamal Lyon is tapping out for a bit. According to a statement provided to The Root via 20th Century Fox Television, Jussie Smollett’s role will be removed from the final two episodes of Empire’s 5th season. The statement was released on behalf of Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo…
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Jussie Smollett Arrested, Police Claim Actor Was Upset Over Salary as Motive for Apparent Staged Attack [Updated]
This is a mess. Less than a month since news surfaced of Jussie Smollett’s alleged homophobic and racist attack on Jan. 29, things have spiraled into an unexpected circus. Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi has confirmed Smollett was arrested and is currently in custody, Deadline reports. A bail hearing will be scheduled for Thursday…
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It Looks Like Jussie Smollett's Case Is Headed to Grand Jury [Updated]
According to TMZ, Jussie Smollett’s case will go before a grand jury early next week. Law enforcement sources informed TMZ that a panel will hear the case, however it’s unclear as to who is facing charges or what those charges might entail. On Sunday, Anthony Guglielmi, the Chief Communications Officer for the Chicago PD, took…
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Report: New Evidence Suggests Jussie Smollett Was Allegedly An 'Active Participant' In Apparent Assault [Updated]
The Chicago Police department’s investigation into the alleged racist and homophobic attack on entertainer Jussie Smollett has shifted from identifying potential assailants to focusing on the Empire star himself—as police now reportedly believe Smollett paid two men to orchestrate the assault. According to CNN, the two men, brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, were arrested Wednesday…
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Jussie Smollett Reportedly Refused Extra Security After Receiving Racist and Homophobic Letter Threat
Days before the reported homophobic and racist attack against Jussie Smollett, he was offered around-the-clock bodyguards. As TMZ reports, the Empire actor denied Fox Studio’s offer to provide him with additional offset security detail while in Chicago filming the series, after images of a threatening letter with the phrase, “You will die black fag” were…
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FBI Investigating Racist and Homophobic Attack Against Jussie Smollett Due to Previous Threat
To say Wednesday was a whirlwind of emotions is putting it lightly. A rollercoaster ride of progression has surfaced regarding the reported homophobic and racist attack on Jussie Smollett that occurred late Monday night (into Tuesday). The suspected hate crime involved two men wearing ski-masks who approached Smollett around 2 a.m. and hurled bigoted slurs…