jussie smollett
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Osundairo Brothers File Defamation Lawsuit Against Jussie Smollett's Legal Team
In the case with more twists than a YouTube tutorial, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, the two personal trainers implicated in the case of Empire star Jussie Smollett, have filed suit against Smollett’s representation for defamation, according to the Chicago Tribune. According to their suit, the Osundairo brothers, who told investigators that Smollett paid them to…
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My Brother's Keeper: JoJo Smollett Rides for His Brother in Powerful Essay: 'What if Jussie is Telling the Truth?'
Look, I get it. If the entire free world was after your sibling, you’d grab your car keys and ride for them too. So the fact that JoJo Smollett—the older brother of embattled Empire actor Jussie Smollett—dropped an op-ed on Sunday doing exactly that doesn’t come as a surprise. In an exclusive essay for BET,…
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'A Grave Threat to Public Safety': John Legend Calls Out Chicago Police Union in Op-Ed
As the city of Chicago lurches forward with its lawsuit against actor Jussie Smollett, John Legend penned a blistering op-ed last week, taking aim at Chicago’s powerful police union. Writing for the Chicago Tribune, the singer accused the Fraternal Order of Police of posing “a grave threat” to Chicago’s safety by obstructing efforts to instill…
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Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx Texts Leaked, Refers to Jussie Smollett as a 'Washed Up Celeb' and R. Kelly as a 'Pedophile'
Shortly after Kim Foxx agreed to an independent investigation of her involvement in the Jussie Smollett case, texts between herself and communications team staff members leaked. The texts reportedly occurred after the Cook County State’s Attorney recused herself from working on the case. The texts were initially obtained by CNN, as The Root reported back…
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Chicago Mayor-Elect Lori Lightfoot Confirms Jussie Smollett's Case 'Doesn't Rank as a Matter of Any Importance'
As we continue to follow along with the soap operatic saga known as Jussie Smollett’s Chicago case, many have expressed a desire for it all to be over. The rollercoaster of plot twists — including the biggest of them all, when all charges were dropped, abruptly — sent everyone in a tailspin, and frankly, it…
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Prosecutor Kim Foxx Defends Decision in Jussie Smollett Case, Calls Police Backlash 'Disheartening'
At an event hosted by the Reverend Jesse Jackson last weekend, Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx held the line on her office’s decision to dismiss charges against Empire actor Jussie Smollett, whom Chicago Police say orchestrated a hate-crime hoax in January. As Page Six reports, Foxx gave a press conference at the Saturday Rainbow PUSH…
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Don’t Believe the Hype? Cosby Claims He Never Settled
Just hours after news spread that Bill Cosby had settled the defamation lawsuit brought against him, Cosby’s spokesman says it’s all corruption. For those just crawling out from under a rock, more than 50 women have accused America’s Favorite Patriarch-turned-pariah of sexual assault. (Cosby is serving a three- to 10-year prison sentence after being convicted…
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It Ain't Over: Chicago Demands Jussie Smollett Pay $130K for Wasting Everybody's Time
I believe it was my mother who first taught me the value of “Let go and let God” the first time a woman stole one of my hoodies and refused to give it back. As I’ve since learned that this is a common occurrence and a black man’s rite of passage, I no longer harbor…
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Can’t Win for Losing? Competing Rallies Over Chicago Prosecutor Kim Foxx
Sooooo Jussie Smollett may have, just may have, colored the truth. The Chicago Police Department might have or might not have botched the investigation into the Empire actor’s alleged beatdown by MAGA-hat-wearing, racist African brothers in whiteface *kanye shrug*. But who seems to really be in the crosshairs in this twisted saga? Smollett? The brothers…
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Dis Tew Much: Mayor Rahm Emanuel Plans to Bill Jussie Smollett, Illinois Could Withhold Tax Credits From Empire, and the Osundario Brothers May Have Worn Whiteface?
Charges have been dropped, but it doesn’t look like this entire Jussie Smollett saga has any plans of slowing down any time soon. Smollett claimed back in January that he was the victim of a homophobic and racist attack. Disorderly conduct and false police report charges against the 36-year-old stemming from that disputed claim were…