Some people have questioned the details of his story. One theory I heard, is that Jussie possibly was involved in a romantic rendezvous that went wrong. Here is a video of podcaster Joe Budden explaining his skepticism of Smollett’s story.
Chicago’s ABC affiliate has reported that there is a possibility Smollett staged the attack out of fear that he was going to be taken Empire show.
Fox and 20th Century Fox came out earlier this week and released a statement that refuted those claims. “The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of Empire is patently ridiculous. He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him,” the statement said.
Chicago police spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi tweeted that any media reports about the incident being a hoax have been unconfirmed by case detectives.”
Despite the doubt surrounding his story, Smollett has maintained that the attack happened. “I still want to believe with everything that has happened, that there’s something called justice,” he said in an interview with Good Morning America.