Jussie Smollet’s Alleged Conundrum:Is Jussie Smollet lying?

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HOUSTON - Out of the loop, I have not kept up with the show “Empire” since the beginning of Season 3, so when I first heard some of the buzz surrounding Jussie Smollett, one of the stars on the hit FOX show, I didn’t originally pay much attention to any of the details.

As more details continued to surface, I became increasingly interested in the case. Specifically, I wondered if Smollet is lying about the alleged attack and why. What does Smollett have to gain from the situation? And on the off chance that Smollett isn’t lying, It’s apparent after watching the Robin Roberts interview, he needs better council and a better PR team.

Smollett claims that he was targeted and then suffered a homophobic and racially charged attacked in Chicago, while on his way to grab food at 2 a.m.

As the investigation ensued details started to not add up, the media as well as some of his supporters started to question the validity of his claims.

“Based on his body language and evasive answers, it appeared to many that he was providing untruths and/or hiding information. In other words, as he spoke to Robin Roberts, there seemed to be holes in his story. His interview left way more questions than answers” Says Kimberley Fain, an attorney who teaches African American literature at Texas Southern University.

Without previously following the details of the case, I watched Smollett’s interview with Robin Roberts and his demeanor looked odd for someone who was recounting a hate crime they endured.

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Some could argue that he was just trying to be brave and be strong through the situation, however Smollett was smiling throughout the interview at what seemed to be choreographed times.

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It seemed to me that Smollett would have benefitted by never doing the interview in the first place. His council team should have advised him against it. The interview further corroborated the claims that Smollett was falsifying information.

Raven Lemon, a PR student at Texas Southern University, said, “If he was actually attacked, Smollett’s representatives should have controlled the narrative more effectively.”

I agree whole heartedly.

The situation is damaging to the gay and black community whether he is telling the truth or not.

Following these events victims will have an even harder time reporting actual hate crimes they do endure out of fear of not being believed.

In addition, I believe the police already don’t take crime in the black community seriously, and this situation has not helped.

In the coming days and weeks hopefully more facts will unfold that will reveal the truth once and for all.