Smollett’s Comeback Blocked Unless He ‘Comes Clean,’ Osundairo Lawyer Says
Quinn Parker here, and yes I had too much coffee, so buckle up because this one’s a rollercoaster. Okay, listen: Jussie Smollett is trying to tiptoe back into Hollywood with new music, a directing credit and a reality TV appearance, but the 2019 hate crime controversy is tailing him like last call at a diner. Gloria Rodriguez, attorney for Abel and Ola Osundairo, tells TMZ that unless Smollett publicly admits what really happened, his chances of a genuine career rebound are slim.
Let me break it down fast and factual: In 2019, Smollett reported an attack in Chicago involving masked men, bleach and racist, homophobic slurs. He was later charged for allegedly staging the attack and convicted of filing a false report, though that conviction was vacated because of a prosecutorial deal. The Osundairo brothers have consistently maintained that Smollett paid them to enact the staged incident. Rodriguez says prosecutors and a jury accepted the brothers’ account, and she calls Smollett’s current insistence on his original story a career self-sabotage.
Smollett recently told Variety he still believes the Chicago Police Department and former Mayor Rahm Emanuel are the true villains, and he stuck to the narrative that MAGA-wearing attackers assaulted him. Rodriguez finds this blame-shifting baffling and legally misplaced, noting that a mayor doesn’t have authority to press criminal charges and could only authorize civil action. She also praised Chicago police for pursuing the investigation when Smollett filed his report.
There’s more receipts here: the City of Chicago once sought six figures from Smollett to cover investigative expenses, though TMZ previously reported he resolved the matter by donating $50,000 to a charity of his choice as part of a later agreement. Rodriguez framed that donation as paltry compared to the time, emergency resources and taxpayer money spent pursuing the case, saying Smollett still hasn’t fully recognized the public cost of the episode.
Now the stakes: Rodriguez told TMZ that the public is “tired of his lies” and that a true comeback would require remorse, transparency and an admission that the episode was “a prank that went too far.” She emphasized that both versions of the story can’t be true, and insisted Smollett is still responsible for filing a false police report. The Osundairo brothers, per Rodriguez, want honesty rather than revenge and wish Smollett well if he takes responsibility.
Smollett, who has lined up creative projects that include music releases, a directing gig and a spot on an upcoming FOX reality show, has not issued a public change of story. Rodriguez also told TMZ she reached out to authorities and credited them for doing their job. Attempts to contact Smollett’s representatives for comment were unanswered at the time of the report.
So here’s the tall, jittery coffee-scented conclusion: talent alone won’t erase a headline this loud. If Smollett wants audiences and the industry to forgive and fund his next moves, Rodriguez argues he needs a candid, public reckoning acknowledging what she calls a contrived incident. Otherwise, every press for his new projects might read like stage directions from 2019.
Keep your eyes peeled for how Smollett responds — his next public statement could either start the healing or keep the controversy simmering.
Okay, I need to calm down after that!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, Variety
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
