Jussie Smollett

Smollett’s attorneys tout him as a “young man of impeccable character and integrity” as they rail against his treatment by law enforcement.  

“Why would anyone, especially an African American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?" Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson said after Jussie Smollett was charged with filing a false police report.

Police have also claimed that Smollett was responsible for the threatening letter he received one week before what they called a “bogus” attack.  

In less than a month, Smollett went from seemingly sympathetic victim to being accused of fabricating a lie.

Jussie Smollett told police he was attacked by two masked men who beat him and yelled racist and homophobic language, but police now believe it may have been a false report.

Authorities said a person who lives in the building or was visiting someone there reported seeing Jussie Smollett and the two brothers initially accused of attacking him last month, but the tip was determined to be not credible.

"Empire" star Jussie Smollett, who is African-American and openly gay, reported he was physically attacked around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29 near his home in Chicago.

Jussie Smollett’s siblings took to social media to show their support as questions continue to mount about the alleged attack on the "Empire" star. 

Chicago Police said that the questioning of two brothers that know the "Empire" star, who were previously called potential suspects, has now "shifted the trajectory of the investigation."

The two men have yet to be formally charged as the potential hate crime case takes surprising twist.