It’s a lot of fun to go back and watch actor Jussie Smollett’s interview on ABC’s “Good Morning America” from February, wherein he recounts his alleged “attack” by two white Trump supporters, if only because it’s like looking at a real-life pathological liar in the eyes from a safe distance.
At one point in the interview, Smollett enthusiastically recalls how he “fought back” against this attackers and that it should serve as inspiration for young LGBT people. “I want them to see that I fought back,” he says about his hopes that police would recover video footage of the late-night encounter. “And I want a little gay boy who might watch this to see that I fought f–king back. … They ran off, I didn’t.”
[Read: Police: Jussie Smollett sent self threatening letter and faked attack to get higher salary]
There was in fact a surveillance camera nearby where the “attack” occurred, though police have said it was facing a different direction. That’s probably for the best, depending on Smollett’s acting ability. It turns out that one of the “attackers,” Abel Osundairo is a trained fighter and competed in a boxing match Thursday. He knocked out his opponent in the first round.
By contrast, Chicago police said that Smollett walked away from his supposed confrontation with Osundairo with only minor skin abrasions and that they were likely self inflicted.
In other words, Smollett wants the public to believe his attackers were white (both were black) and that he alone nearly fought the two of them off (even as one of them is a competitive boxer with “a pretty punishing right hook”).
It’ll be interesting to watch Smollett’s defense — he has maintained his innocence — explain that one in court. He’s been charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct in relation to having faked the entire incident, first reported in late January.
