Chicago police have reportedly released a trove of investigative files and video of the alleged staged racist attack on "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.
Some of the never-before-seen nearly 70 hours of video released Monday includes footage of Smollett standing with a noose dangling from his neck, an ABC affiliate in Chicago reported.
Bodycam footage reveals three officers entering Smollett's apartment to find the actor standing with a long rope visibly circling his neck, and an officer is heard saying “Want to take it off?” the Daily Mail reported.
“Yeah I do. I just wanted you to see,” he tells the officers. “There’s bleach on me. They poured bleach on me.”
Then he asks if he's being filmed and an officer confirms he’s being video taped and audio is being recorded as well and Smollett requests the cameras be turned off, the Daily Mail reported.
Smollett came under scrutiny for the alleged attack by two men wearing Make America Great Again hats on Jan. 29 after no surveillance video footage of the incident was found.
Chicago police had accused the actor of orchestrating the attack with the help of two brothers whom he knew. One brother was an extra on "Empire" and the other was Smollett's personal trainer.
Another video included in the Monday release shows the brothers in a taxi on their way to meet Smollett, wearing hooded jackets and covering their faces. One is seen wearing a ski mask. The car ride took place about 40 minutes before the alleged attack, the video showed.
Police charged Smollett with filing a false police report, but those charges were later dropped by Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
The video release follows by days a judge's order for a special prosecutor to be named to investigate the actions of Foxx.
Related Stories:
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.