# Jussie Smollett - Say It Ain't So **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2019, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698 "2019-02-17T00:34:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/41 "2019-02-17T17:16:12Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > So the two guys he paid were brothers from Nigeria and he thought it looked plausible to have them yell “This is MAGA country!” ? > This… really wasn’t thought out that well… was it I have a feeling the sweat started when the detectives told him “The good news is almost that entire area is covered by one camera or another.” ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/42 "2019-02-17T17:28:21Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > So the two guys he paid were brothers from Nigeria and he thought it looked plausible to have them yell “This is MAGA country!” ? > This… really wasn’t thought out that well… was it If only the Nigerians had been wearing whiteface! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/43 "2019-02-17T17:33:03Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He, through his lawyers, is still denying that he had anything to do with this. Well, it’s true he had nothing to do with a mugging that didn’t happen. But the false police report is a different matter. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/44 "2019-02-17T17:51:44Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > False accusations aren’t unknown though. I remember when Morton Downey Jr. got attacked by so-called Nazis. > > Why people do it? There is a whole lot of nuttery in this world. I’m aware it happens. It still pisses me off. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/45 "2019-02-17T19:16:09Z")
[Apparently they couldn’t even find a real MAGA hat for a prop](https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02/16/sources-brothers-released-bought-rope-used-in-jussie-smollett-attack/). ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/46 "2019-02-17T19:43:50Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Apparently they couldn’t even find a real MAGA hat for a prop](https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02/16/sources-brothers-released-bought-rope-used-in-jussie-smollett-attack/). I hate to go off of statements from unnamed sources but if that’s true it’s much worse than I thought it would be. My personal working theory when I heard about this was something personally embarrassing happened, he lied about it to those close to him, and then he was caught up in the lie and couldn’t see a way out of it. Totally staging it and rehearsing it is worse than I ever imagined. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/47 "2019-02-17T19:49:50Z")
Wow, is he in enough trouble now to kiss his acting career goodbye? So what might this be legally, filing a false report? Obstruction? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/48 "2019-02-17T20:00:08Z")
> [@](#): > > My personal working theory when I heard about this was something personally embarrassing happened, he lied about it to those close to him, and then he was caught up in the lie and couldn’t see a way out of it. [Apparently he was pushing it as a news item](https://pagesix.com/2019/02/17/jussie-smollett-reportedly-insisted-on-tv-appearance-after-attack/). ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/49 "2019-02-17T20:01:05Z")
Holy crap! They bought the rope from the same place I bought a razor scraper and WD40 to get expired city stickers off my car windshield! This is cool! ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/50 "2019-02-17T20:03:34Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Wow, is he in enough trouble now to kiss his acting career goodbye? So what might this be legally, filing a false report? Obstruction? I’m no expert on Illinois law but thinking of the laws of my state there are several that could apply. Nothing extremely serious. Low level felonies or high level misdemeanors. Nothing you could get serious jail time for. For instance filing a false report is a 4th degree crime punishable by up to 18 months. The maximum sentence would be very rare. I would think that Illinois would be relatively similar. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/51 "2019-02-17T20:03:55Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Wow, is he in enough trouble now to kiss his acting career goodbye? We can only hope. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/52 "2019-02-17T20:04:23Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > So what might this be legally, filing a false report? Obstruction? The local Chicago news reported it could be both. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/53 "2019-02-17T20:12:43Z")
I hadn’t heard that earlier there had been one of those [cut and paste notes](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/CutAndPasteNote) [sent to him](https://www.tmz.com/2019/02/17/jussie-smollett-grand-jury-attack-brothers-trump-empire/), which implied that he would be shot while apparently hugging a triffid? ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/54 "2019-02-17T20:20:20Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > W > I hope he ain’t making this up, and that he experiences justice. I hope he experiences justice no matter what. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/55 "2019-02-17T21:08:36Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [Apparently they couldn’t even find a real MAGA hat for a prop](https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/02/16/sources-brothers-released-bought-rope-used-in-jussie-smollett-attack/). \*"The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25. The brothers, who were questioned by police this week before being released, were paid $3,500 before leaving for Nigeria and were promised an additional $500 upon their return."\* The _ **Crafty Beaver Hardware Store** _?? This is starting to sound like an episode of “The Simpsons”. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/56 "2019-02-18T00:01:02Z")
I’m confused about the trip to Nigeria and the return 2 weeks later with a promise of an additional $500. I mean, what did Smollett tell the police, “One thing for sure, they weren’t two weigh-lifting Nigerians. I can tell you that”. And if he was stupid enough to practice this in the same location then it may be on camera. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/57 "2019-02-18T00:09:05Z")
Anyone else find it odd the original poster would rather a minority get almost lynched in the street just so the “redhats” don’t get a “win”? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/58 "2019-02-18T00:16:19Z")
Sick burn, bro. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/59 "2019-02-18T00:42:30Z")
> [@Asuka](#): > > Anyone else find it odd the original poster would rather a minority get almost lynched in the street just so the “redhats” don’t get a “win”? I don’t want any minorities or majorities lynched in streets for any reason. When it was reported first, I hoped this wasn’t true. I was glad he wasn’t injured. But now the fact that he paid them and set it up doesn’t help much for the rest of the people who are trying to show how racist the red hats are. The red hats now have ammo against “the libruls” and can preach how evil we are. The way they exaggerate they’ll convince themselves that anyone who doesn’t bow to the Howling Yam is evil. tl/dr: NO GOOD came of this for anyone. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698/60 "2019-02-18T01:11:28Z")
I would love to know his motivation behind this. It seems Chicago PD did a good job handing this sensitive matter in a way to get to the bottom of what happened. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jussie-smollett-say-it-aint-so/829698.md?page=4)