The investigation into the alleged attack on Empire star Jussie Smollett keeps getting weirder and weirder. Now, Smollett has hired a lawyer and not just anyone. He retained Michael Monico, the criminal defense lawyer best known for representing Michael Cohen.
Why would Smollett need a criminal lawyer in a case where he has accused two men of attacking him? Questions keep pouring in about the investigation.
Jussie Smollett attack suspects released
On Thursday, while appearing on Good Morning America, Jussie Smollett confirmed that the men seen on surveillance video were definitely his attackers, saying, “I don’t have any doubt in my mind that that’s them. Never did.”
On Friday, the two men who had previously been pegged as suspicious persons on surveillance footage new Jussie Smollett’s Chicago apartment were taken in for questioning.
It turned out that the two men were Nigerian brothers Ola and Abel Osundairo who had appeared on Empire previously as extras.
Later on Friday, the brothers were released from custody after police claimed new evidence exonerated the two men. Their lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, told TMZ that her clients were released after sharing information they had with police.
When asked if the Jussie Smollett attack was staged, Schmidt declined to answer, saying only that she didn’t want to speculate.
Jussie Smollett hires lawyer Michael Monico
The arrest and release of the Nigerian brothers who also appeared on Empire set off a wave of theories about the alleged Jussie Smollett attack that were only made worse upon learning that he hired a criminal lawyer.
It was learned
Monico revealed his new role during an appearance on The Roe Conn Show. However, he didn’t reveal how long he had been working for Smollett or why.
What we do know is that investigators are still piecing together what happened to Jussie Smollett on January 29 and should release those details soon. As for the Nigerian brothers Ola and Abel, their lawyer claims that they were on the scene that night and would tell their story “when the time is right.”