The two brothers who testified they were hired by Jussie Smollett to orchestrate a publicity-seeking hate hoax said they are coming clean.
Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo explained their role in a January 2019 hate-crime hoax, speaking out in the new Fox Nation docu-series “Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax.”
The brothers said they were paid $3,500 to carry out the hoax, in which they played the role of masked Donald Trump supporters who were supposed to attack Smollett in the dead of night on a Chicago street.
The Nigerian-born brothers described an operation that was meticulously planned in a walkthrough of their actions — at the scene of the hoax.
The Osundairo brothers were hired men for a con created to dupe America. They share what they were instructed to do the night of the staged attack on Jussie Smollett. https://t.co/jvWwGloz8k #FoxNation #JussieSmollett #AnatomyOfAHoax pic.twitter.com/3uOEHLFSoN
— Fox Nation (@foxnation) March 13, 2023
The brothers said they were surprised that Smollett continued to lie about the hoax after it unraveled.
“Insane. That’s when I really saw a different side of Jussie,” one brother said of Smollett’s deception, according to the Daily Mail.
“Like, dude, really? This is when I knew that this dude was like a super villain.”
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The brothers said they soon realized that police were eyeing the supposed hate crime attack as a potential hoax.
“They’re releasing all these little bits of evidence, but they knew it was off. They just waiting for us to come back.”
Abimbola said Smollett used his professional leverage to recruit the brothers for the hoax — stating that the aspiring actors felt indebted to him.
“He was a friend, he’s helped me out a lot, he’s gotten me roles on Empire, he buys stuff when we go out, which is drinks and whatnot – so I felt indebted to him.”
The brothers had become accustomed to performing favors for Smollett — including obtaining marijuana for him.
“Those were the type of favors he asked me for, but we weren’t thinking ‘let’s see what we can get from him.’ Because I’m not that type of person.”
In the new doc “Anatomy of a Hoax” The Jussie Smollett faked story:
The Osundairo Brother detail what really was Jussie’s plan and why.
They also say they still feel ‘betrayed’ by his hate crime lies
🔗: https://t.co/2W96GU0Zux pic.twitter.com/ezGeA8xXix— Glock Topickz (@Glock_Topickz) March 14, 2023
Smollett has continued to assert his innocence of the hoax, after being convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct in connection with the plot.
The disgraced actor has succeeded in delaying his 150-day jail term as his conviction is appealed.
“This guy is a super liar,” Abimbola said of the hate hoaxter in the docu-series.
The Osundairo brothers have not been charged after cooperating with authorities.
