Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett will be returning to television this fall on the competition show Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test.
According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), Smollett will be “one of 18 celebrities taking on a series of challenges that mirror those of military special forces training.”
The season’s other contestants are Kody Brown (TLC’s Sister Wives), Brittany Cartwright (Bravo’s The Valley), Randall Cobb (former NFL player), Eric Decker (former NFL player), Jessie James Decker (country music artist), Andrew East (former NFL player), Shawn Johnson East (gold medal-winning Olympic gymnast), Mark Estes (“internet personality”), Gia Giudice, Teresa Giudice (The Real Housewives of New Jersey), Chanel Iman (model), Brianna LaPaglia (“internet personality” aka Brianna Chickenfry), Johnny Manziel (former Heisman Trophy winner and NFL player), Eva Marcille (model and actress), Ravi V. Patel (Fox’s Animal Control), Christie Pearce Rampone (World Cup winner with the U.S. women’s soccer team) and Nick Young (former NBA player).
The cast also features a few familial relationships: Eric and Jessie James Decker are married, as are Andrew East and Shawn Johnson East. Teresa and Gia Giudice are mother and daughter.
In early 2019, the Empire actor claimed he fell victim to a hate crime on a cold winter’s night in Chicago at the hands of two men who derided him with homophobic slurs while yelling “this is MAGA country” as they tied a noose around his neck. Many in the media took Smollett’s story at face value until evidence revealed that he had hired two brothers from Nigeria to stage the attack, supposedly in an effort to boost his salary on the show.
After Smollett turned himself into police for the felony charge of filing a false police report, the situation took a turn for the worse when the charges against him were suddenly dropped by Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx, prompting outrage from both the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. In an obvious attempt to rectify the situation and regain city trust, a Chicago judge appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the way Smollett’s case was handled.
In 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail after being tried and convicted for five counts of felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. He was later sued by the city for $130,000 to cover the cost of his hoax investigation. Smollett settled the suit by agreeing to donate $60,000 to two Chicago-based charities. That was followed by the Illinois Supreme Court overturning his five felony charges, which Smollett says proves his innocence.
“However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system,” Smollett wrote. “I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.”
“To everyone who has supported me, thank you. Your prayers and belief in me mean more than words can properly express,” concluded. With Love & Respect, Jussie Smollett.”
The Illinois Supreme Court, however, clarified that they only overturned his conviction strictly on fifth amendment grounds due to Kim Foxx initially dropping the charges against him. In fact, special prosecutor Dan Webb said the ruling had “nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence.”
“The Illinois Supreme Court did not find any error with the overwhelming evidence presented at trial… or the jury’s unanimous verdict that Mr. Smollett was guilty of five counts of felony disorderly conduct,” Webb stated.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
