In a jaw-dropping interview on #WithChude, Abimbola Osundairo, one of the brothers at the center of the Jussie Smollett scandal, shares his side of the story for the first time on an interview with Chude Jideonwo.

In 2019, Empire actor, Jussie Smollett, accused Abimbola Osundairo and his brother of staging a racist, homophobic attack against him.

“He was my friend, and he confided in me. He asked me to beat him up, randomly. I thought he was high because he was smoking weed. Although, he mentioned to me that weeks prior to this, he got a hate letter. That had led him to concoct this situation. I don’t know if he sent himself the letter though because right now, I don’t know what to think. We were supposed to rehearse. We went to the place where the attack was supposed to happen. He showed us the exact location and said, ‘Hey, I want you guys to do it here.’ The reason he said we should do it at that location was because he saw a camera. He thought the camera was facing us, so it would catch the attack. Lo and behold, the camera was not facing us, it was facing an entirely different direction. So, we did rehearse in that sense. Osundairo reveals, detailing how Smollett allegedly planned the entire incident, even suggesting they portray themselves as “white supremacists” for the attack.

Osundairo also sheds light on Jussie’s motivations, stating, “It’s hard to believe someone like him would do something like that. You’re at the forefront, you’re the face of the black gay activist movement” He further suggests that celebrities like Taraji P. Henson may have doubts about Smollett’s innocence but feel compelled to defend him due to his public image.

The interview delves into the unraveling of the staged attack, with Osundairo claiming Smollett’s decision to involve the police was the turning point. He states, “It fell apart when he got too greedy. It was supposed to be for social media. He’d give it to the blogs, or the blogs would pick it up, and that would be it. But the vital mistake he made, which made it criminal and all of us got in trouble, was that he called the police. You weren’t supposed to call the police. That’s what made it a crime — calling the police and giving them a false testimony

Osundairo expresses his disappointment and betrayal, stating, “That’s crazy, He got to be low down and dirty to do that. We were helping him out and he was going to just willingly throw us under the bus like that?

This exclusive interview with Abimbola Osundairo provided fresh insights and perspectives on the Jussie Smollett scandal, offering a platform for him to share his experiences and discuss the complexities of the case.

Watch the excerpt: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3hKPcWt-45/

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#WithChude is a network of media products across TV, Film and podcasts telling stories that enable and strengthen the mind, the heart, and the spirit. The weekly interviews are widely syndicated across terrestrial television and social media platforms reaching an average of 8 million people weekly – positioning it as the most watched and most syndicated weekly talk show (digital + traditional) in the region. It has become a safe space for guests to talk about things publicly for the first time. Actor Joke Silva revealed that her husband Olu Jacobs was dealing with dementia with Lewy body for the first time on the show, and producer Kemi Afolabi opened up about her experience dealing with Lupus on #WithChude. That month, Lupus and Kemi Afolabi were among the top Google Nigeria searches. The interviews have been featured everywhere, from the BBC to the New York Times. The documentary and travelogue series #ChudeExplains has tackled issues from criminal justice reform to Gen Z coming of age.

All past and new episodes of #WithChude can be watched at watch.withchude.com. You can also watch the premiere of new episodes every Saturday on Channels TV at 1 pm, with reruns every Sunday on Wazobia TV Channel 98 at 5 pm, and every Tuesday on Rave Tv at 5 pm.

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