Nigerian Brothers Break Silence on Jussie Smollett Hoax: ‘This Dude was a Tremendous Villain,’ a ‘Fraud’

Abimbola (Abel) and Olabinjo (Ola) Osundairo, the Nigerian-born brothers who disgraced actor Jussie Smollett infamously paid to stage his pretend hate crime in 2019, not too long ago broke their silence on the incident, condemning Smollett as a “fraud” who “was like a super villain” when he tried to deceive the general public in order that he may turn into a “poster boy for activism.”

The brothers advised Fox Nation within the new docuseries, Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax, that it was “insane” to see Smollett persevering with to lie and fake to be harmless after the hate crime hoax.

“That’s when I really saw a different side of Jussie,” they mentioned. “Like, dude, really? This is when I knew that this dude was like a super villain.”

Abel mentioned “I thought [Smollett] was a good actor, but I also thought this guy’s a fraud. This guy is really just sitting here, just lying to these people. Lying through his teeth, and not caring. I think he shed a tear.”

“This dude crazy, man,” Abel added, laughing as he seemingly reminisced about an interview Smollett had with ABC Information after the fake hate crime. “He shed a tear, man. This dude wild.”

Abel additionally admitted that he feels betrayed by the previous Empire actor, who to this present day, has by no means accepted accountability over the pretend hate crime.

“I did feel betrayed by Jussie and what he had done,” he mentioned. “I didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t ready to say anything. Like, I was mute, and I didn’t want to say anything.”

The Osundairo brothers additionally mentioned that after serving to Smollett along with his hoax, they flew to Nigeria, the place they questioned if that they had executed a very good job.

After being requested in the event that they suppose they performed “believable white supremacists,” Abel laughed, saying, “One hundred percent! Look at me.”

“We was in character the whole time,” Ola added.

Abel added that he had a sneaking suspicion police suspected them by the point they had been flying again from Nigeria. And when the brothers received again to the USA, they might quickly discover that Abel was proper.

“I felt like, the police was waiting for me,” Ola mentioned. “That’s what I felt like. They’re releasing all these little bits of evidence, but they knew it was off. They just waiting for us to come back.”

Abel added that when he was getting off the aircraft, “the customs agent was checking everyone’s passport, and when they got to me, they pulled me aside.”

“Two big ass police officers came up — I was like damn, it’s over with. They got me,” he mentioned. “The police did ask us what Jussie’s motive was, but Jussie did not really tell me a motive.”

Ola mentioned Smollett “wanted to be the poster child for activism.”

“He wanted to be the hero for gay people, for black people,” Abel added.

In January 2019, Smollett had claimed he was bodily attacked by two males carrying crimson hats who put a rope round his neck, poured bleach on him, and shouted racial and homophobic slurs at him, earlier than yelling, “This is MAGA country!” — in reference to former President Donald Trump’s 2016 marketing campaign slogan.

Throughout Smollett’s trial, prosecutors confirmed how he had gone by extraordinary lengths to stage the assault towards himself, and the way he employed and paid the Nigerian brothers $3,500 to hold out the assault.

In December 2021, a Chicago jury discovered Smollett responsible on 5 of six fees. In March 2022, the disgraced actor was sentenced to 150 days in Prepare dinner County jail, 30 months of probation, pay a restitution of $120,106, and a high-quality of $25,000. Days later, Smollett was launched from jail after his legal professionals filed for him to be launched as he appeals his conviction.

You possibly can observe Alana Mastrangelo on Fb and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.