Actor Jussie Smollett, giving an interview for the first time in nearly two years, said that the charges he orchestrated a hate crime against himself were “bullshit.” The former Empire actor is charged with six felonies for allegedly staging a violent homophobic and racist attack on himself in Chicago in January 2019. He described the assault as two white men pouring bleach over his head, hitting him, and throwing a noose around his neck. Two Black brothers initially suspected of the attack went on to tell police that Smollett had hired them to beat him so he could secure a pay raise on Empire. “There is an example being made. And the sad part is that there is an example being made of someone that did not do what they’re being accused of,” Smollett said. He claimed there are witnesses to the assault and tapes of it that would back up his account. “There would be no reason for me to do something foolish,” he added. “This is bullshit. This is bullshit.”