Jussie Smollett Addresses Dave Chappelle's "Juicy" Jokes

It’s been over five years since Jussie Smollett’s alleged hate crime, and people are still debating whether it happened or was an elaborate plot conjured up by the Empire star.

But if you ask Smollett, he’s over trying to convince people he was the victim, and he recently sat with Cam Newton’s Funky Friday podcast to talk about it.

“At this point, I’ve kind of set into the fact that most people have made up their minds about what they want to believe, whether that’s in support of me or against me,” he said around the 51-minute mark.

He adds that as long as those closest to him are comfortable with his truth, that’s all that matters.

“Either way, okay. Because at this point, my people know. My mother has always known. My siblings have always known. My love has always known.”

Smollett also dug a bit deeper into the details of the alleged attack, admitting that the notion that he fought back may have been exaggerated to give others power.

“I wanted to speak for, but I didn’t want to be a part of the club of people who’ve been attacked, assaulted, or jumped, especially for the reason that it seemed like I was,” he said. “That’s where the performative nature of ‘he hit me, and I hit his ass back’ came from, to seem less weak. That certainly comes from being young and hearing my pops say, ‘Better know how to fight, or people will think you’re a sissy.'”

Jokes were plentiful when the event happened, and leading the charge was comedian Dave Chappelle, who dedicated an entire portion of his stand-up special to calling Smollett a liar, and now he’s responding.

“I ain’t got no issue with Dave Chappelle. I don’t know these people,” he said. “I think you say much worse things than what you say about me. So, it’s like, we good. I respect him for what he has accomplished and what he means to the community and I’ll leave it at that.”

It wasn’t just social media that was skeptical of Smollett’s account; the Chicago Police Department was too, and charged him with falsifying a police report.

After the case dragged on for years, in May 2025, he was ordered to pay $50,000 in restitution by donating to charities.