Empire actor Jussie Smollett has officially been arrested and charged for his role in a staged attack that he orchestrated. Following his arrest, Smollett’s bond was set at $100,000.
According to Chicago prosecutors, Smollett paid two Nigerian brothers who were extras on Empire — Ola and Abel Osundairo — to yell “this is MAGA country” as they hit him and put a rope around his neck during the staged attack.
While speaking to reporters, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said that Smollett’s intent was to further promote and advance his career as he was reportedly unhappy with his salary.
“Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career,” Johnson said.
Additionally, Superintendent Johnson said that any injuries Smollett sustained were “likely self-inflicted.”
“The brothers [Ola and Abel Osundairo] had on gloves during the staged attack where they punched him a little bit, but as far as we can tell the scratches and bruising that you saw on his face was most likely self-inflicted,” Johnson said.
Twitter Reacts To Smollett’s Arrest
After the news of Smollett’s arrest and the subsequent charges, people from both sides of the political aisle voiced their opinion about the now-disgraced actor on Twitter.
“Jussie Smollett – what about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?” the President of the United States of America tweeted.
“How about how Jussie Smollett just made it way easier for Trump to get reelected? Unreal.” tweeted stand-up comedian and actor Chris D’Elia.
Check out more Twitter reactions to Smollet’s arrest below:
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