Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett claims he took drugs and masturbated with one of the men he's accused of hiring to attack him for attention.
The 39-year-old is on trial for allegedly staging a homophobic and racist attack, however, he denies these claims and maintains that he is the victim of a genuine hate crime.
Smollett, a black and openly gay actor, reported that he was a victim of hate crime in the early hours of 29 January 2019.
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Brothers Olabingo and Abimbola Osundairo, have testified against Smollett, claiming that he paid them to douse him with gasoline and throw a noose around his neck.
Now, giving evidence in court, Smollett has now recalled a meeting between himself and Abimbola Osundairo where he said: "We went alone [visiting a bathhouse], we got a private room again. We made out a little bit, and this time we masturbated together.”
He also explained that after meeting Osundairo, they made out and did drugs together in Boystown.
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Olabingo and Abimbola Osundairo say Smollett gave them a $3,500 cheque to carry out the fake attack.
Smollett said he wrote the cheque for nutrition and training advice from Abimbola Osundairo while he was going to be out of town not as payment for Osundairo and his brother to carry out the attack.
Asked by his defence attorney if he gave Osundairo payment for some kind of hoax, Smollett replied: “Never.”
Smollett also testified that Osundairo told him about a herbal steroid that encourages weight loss but is illegal in the US. He said Osundairo told the actor he could get him some 'on the low' — or secretly — while he was on an upcoming trip to Nigeria.
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Osundairo testified that Smollett sent him a text message — which the jury saw last week — about talking 'on the low' and that during the conversation Smollett asked him about helping to stage the attack.
But Smollett said on Monday that the message was in reference to the illegal steroid and he used language Osundairo had used previously.
Prosecutors say Smollett staged the attack because he was unhappy with the Empire studio’s response to hate mail he received.
Smollett is charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct for making what prosecutors say was a false police report about the alleged attack — one count for each time he gave a report — to three different officers.
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