Jussie Smollett, the race-hoaxing scam artist/actor of “Empire,” who was criminally indicted for filing a false police report last year, a Class 4 felony, is, for some reason, still active in the industry and has even just landed a high-profile gig as a director.
As per THR, Smollett is preparing his feature directorial debut with “B-Boy Blues,” an adaptation of James Earl Hardy's 1994 novel. ‘Blues’ is set to go into production on Oct. 17 in New York City. The actor had previously directed two episodes of “Empire.”
I'm surprised he was even able to find investors at all.
In case you were unaware of the Smollett incident, in early 2019 the actor reported to the Chicago Police Department that he had received in the mail a threatening and racist-filled letter from an unknown perpetrator. When that claim went unnoticed, Smollett decided to go that extra mile, just a week later, and falsely claim to the CPD that he was attacked by two masked men who hurled “this is MAGA country” at him before tying a noose around his neck in Chicago's Streeterville neighborhood.
Evidence eventually pointed towards Smollett having hired the two men, who were Nigerian-born extras on his TV show “Empire,” to fake the attack. Smollett continues to face legal charges from his failed stunt in Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty to restored charges.
For months, people close to CEO David Ellison had hinted that he would leave if state AGs didn't drop their antitrust suit against the $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger.