Two weeks after Jussie Smollett made headlines for claiming he was the victim in a racist, homophobic, attack — his neighbors are speaking out and they’re not buying his story.
According to reports, residents who live in Jussie’s building are having a hard time wrapping their heads around some of the details of his version of events, according to the New York Post.
“I don’t believe it happened the way he said it did,” said Agin Muhammad, who lives in the same high-rise as the Empire star.
“I’ve been in this neighborhood five years. I don’t believe it, not around here … Half the people are gay and the other half are Black.”
“It’s a lie, because Chicago is the most liberal city around,” said a patron at Lizzie McNeill’s Irish Pub, about a block from the scene of the alleged Jan. 29 incident, who wouldn’t give his name. “They have cameras everywhere … Why can’t they find the attack?”
Online chatter from those identifying themselves as Chicago residents have questioned the attack as well and for much the same reasons.
As we previously reported, Smollett was allegedly attacked last month in Chicago by two masked assailants who yelled racial and homophobic slurs at the actor.
The suspects reportedly doused him with bleach and tied a noose around his neck during the racially charged attack. Jussie transported himself to a local hospital and was released hours later in “good condition.”
The suspects allegedly recognized Smollett from his role as gay singer/songwriter Jamal Lyon on “Empire” and shouted, “Aren’t you that f**got Empire n**ger?”
His manager, Brandon Z. Moore, said he was on the phone with Jussie at the time of the attack, and confirmed that the suspects were using racial slurs.
Chicago police have confirmed that Smollett, who refused to turn over his phone to police has provided phone records which cover the night of the attack. With that, they can verify that he was on the phone with Moore, who has said that he also heard the assailants shout the words “MAGA country.”
“We have no reason to doubt the statements, but for a criminal investigation, we need to independently confirm the phone records,” Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said.
“We offered to take the phone to download the data and he expressed he couldn’t be without his phone for several hours.”
Jussie Smollett will reportedly speak about the incident in an interview for “Good Morning America” on Tuesday with Robin Roberts.
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