Jussie Smollett reportedly told police he has an untreated drug problem
Text messages obtained by authorities allegedly prove that Smollett purchased drugs from one of the Osundario brothers several times since 2018.
Jussie Smollett reportedly told police he is suffering from an untreated drug problem.
Page Six reports, that the 36-year-old actor stated the alleged drug problem following his arrest on a felony count of disorderly conduct for filing a false report. Reportedly, Smollett had purchased drugs from one of the brothers that helped stage the fake attack back in January.
Prosecutors claim they have reviewed several text messages between Abel Osundairo and Smollett that proves Osundario sold “designer drugs” numerous times to Smollett since spring 2018.
Now, TMZ is reporting that the attack might have been inspired by the cousin of executive producer and creator of “Empire,” Lee Daniels, who was attacked a few weeks prior.
After his cousin’s attack, Daniels took to social media to condemn the acts, stating the attack was LBGT motivated.
“It’s the beginning of a new year and we need to do better,” the post said.
The twist and turns of the Smollett case has had enough drama for an episode of “Empire.” In a new report, TMZ also claims that Smollett didn’t pay the Osundario brothers $3,500 for the attack as previously stated by Chicago investigators, but claims he paid for a nutrition and workout plan.
Sources told the publication that Smollett wanted to get in shape for a new music video and recruited the brothers because he wanted to have “abs like them.”
Following his arrest, Daniels along with the producers of “Empire” released a statement claiming the Jussie will be removed from the final two episodes of the current season of “Empire.”
“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. Jussie has been an important member of our EMPIRE family for the past five years and we care about him deeply. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of ‘Jamal’ from the final two episodes of the season,” read the statement from Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo, and Dennis Hammer, the executive producers of Empire.”
According to TMZ, if the Smollett is convicted, he could use his alleged substance abuse problem as a “mitigating factor” in reducing his sentence.