On January 29, “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett claimed to have been attacked by two masked men after he’d stopped at a Subway shop. Supposedly, the attackers beat him and hurled horrible insults about his sexual preference and race. They were also alleged to have put a rope around his neck and poured some sort of chemical substance on him. In addition, Smollett reported that they shouted “This is MAGA country.” Shortly after, his manager reported the attack to the police and Smollett proceeded to the Northwestern Hospital to tend to his injuries.

Chicago police immediately went into action and searched for the attackers. Although they inspected the surveillance camera footage, there was no sign of an attack. However, they did spot two people in the area where Smollett was attacked. The police brought them in for questioning. They were identified as brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, acquaintances of Smollett.  After questioning the suspects, they were released without charges in light of new evidence, however, the new evidence was not made clear.

After learning of the attack, many people supported Smollett, from celebrities to government officials.

Senator Cory Booker tweeted, “The vicious attack on actor Jussie Smollett was an attempted modern-day lynching. I’m glad he’s safe.”

“@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate,” tweeted Sen. Kamala Harris.

However, as the investigation continued, people began to grow skeptical. Something didn’t seem right.

American journalist Don Lemon stated, “…a lot of this just doesn’t add up. If Jussie’s story isn’t true, he squandered the goodwill of a whole lot of people. He even lied to a lot of people – if it’s not true – including me, and that’s not cool.”

However, some people still stood by him and didn’t jump to conclusions.

Rapper Cardi B stated, “I don’t want to completely blame him because somebody I was talking to said like you know police in Chicago are racist, so they might probably try to frame him and make him look like he’s a liar. But if he’s not then bro you (expletive) up for real like why would you did that?”

On February 21, the Chicago Police Department said that Smollett had lied to their detectives as well as everyone else about the attack. After further searching, they determined that Smollett had staged the attack and had paid the brothers $3,500 to help him.

In addition, a hate letter was “sent” to Smollett a week before the attack. The letter was in an envelope with a white powder that later was identified as crushed Tylenol. The letter was made up of cut-out letters and a drawing of a stick figure hanging from a tree. The return address on the envelope read MAGA. Police later determined that Smollett had crafted that too.

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson stated, “(Smollett) attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language. When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack.”

People were shocked at the additional discovery. Everyone felt betrayed, especially Smollett’s supporters.

“He squandered the goodwill of very high-profile people who may one day be running this country like Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and people like President Trump,” said Lemon.