The Investigation of Jussie Smollett's Attack Gets Murkier and Weirder

Less than a month after reports that actor and singer Jussie Smollett has been assaulted in Chicago, news about the subsequent investigation has fluctuated wildly. Shortly after Smollett appeared for an interview on Good Morning America, police detained and questioned two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, who had appeared as extras on the show. They were released on Friday.

On Thursday though, two local Chicago news outlets reported that investigators believed the attack was staged by Smollett, allegedly motivated by the prospect of being written off of the Fox show Empire. Shortly after that, a spokesperson for the Chicago Police Department said there was "no evidence" to support the reporting, and Fox confirmed that there were no discussions about removing Smollett from the show.

Then, on Saturday, CNN cited "two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation" to report that Smollett orchestrated the attack himself and paid his alleged assailants. Investigators have also reportedly found masks, rope, and bleach—items that were reportedly used in Smollett's assault—at the Osundairo brothers' home. A Chicago police spokesperson announced that "the information received from the individuals questioned by police earlier in the Empire case has in fact shifted the trajectory of the investigation" and that they were looking to set up another interview with Smollett.

Meanwhile, Smollett's lawyer released a statement saying one of the brothers was briefly a personal trainer for Smollett and it's "impossible to believe that this person could have played a role in the crime against Jussie or would falsely claim Jussie's complicity".

The statement also says of Smollett: "He has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”