Jussie Smollett returns to the general public eye as Netflix’s new documentary questions the reality behind his 2019 hate crime report.

Jussie Smollett and the polarizing saga surrounding his 2019 hate crime report are again within the highlight as Netflix prepares to launch a brand new documentary that reopens the case and questions the whole lot the general public thought they knew.

Titled The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, the movie drops August 22 and dives headfirst into the high-profile investigation that gripped headlines and fueled nationwide debate.

Directed by Gagan Rehill and produced by RAW—the crew behind Don’t F**ok With Cats and The Tinder Swindler—the documentary options interviews with police officers, authorized specialists, journalists and Smollett himself.

The movie guarantees to make clear what some declare is newly uncovered proof.

Smollett, who rose to fame on the hit collection Empire, made headlines in January 2019 when he instructed Chicago police he was the sufferer of a racist and homophobic assault.

He stated two MAGA males used slurs, poured a chemical on him and positioned a noose round his neck.

In the trailer, former Chicago Police Department detective Melissa Staples remembers her preliminary response.

“They see an actor called Jussie Smollett with a noose around his neck. He says he was the victim of a hate crime. I thought it was a horrible crime at first until it started to fall apart,” she stated.

Then-superintendent Eddie Johnson additionally expressed doubts early within the case.

“Some elements struck me as a bit peculiar. We were experiencing a polar vortex at that time. Who would be outside in such frigid conditions,” Johnson stated.

After a prolonged investigation, Chicago police concluded Smollett staged the assault and employed two brothers to hold it out. He was charged with felony disorderly conduct for submitting a false report.

In a controversial transfer, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped the costs after Smollett forfeited a $10,000 bond and accomplished neighborhood service. A special prosecutor later refiled charges, citing “substantial abuses of discretion.”

A jury convicted Smollett in December 2021 on 5 counts of mendacity to police. But in November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the convictions, ruling that the second prosecution violated his due course of rights primarily based on the unique settlement with prosecutors.

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