Exclusive
TMZ
Jussie Smollett‘s camp is very upset over what they believe are untrue stories about what actually went down in January, when he says he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.
Sources directly tied to Smollett say the media has mischaracterized a text he sent to Abel Osundairo 4 days before the incident, where he said, “Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?”
Our sources say Smollett insists the texts had nothing to do with a fake attack. Instead, he says the text was referencing a herbal steroid that reduces belly fat that was illegal in the U.S. According to his camp, Smollett said he wanted Abel to buy the pills when he went to Nigeria. And they note, shortly after receiving the text, Abel googled “banned supplements” and “steroids” on his phone.
Our sources go on to say … Jussie’s camp is also upset about a phone call the actor made to Abel after the incident. They say the media made it look like Jussie and Abel were in an ongoing conspiracy to make the “attack” seem real. The sources say the call was to give Abel a heads up detectives would be calling him to corroborate Jussie’s timeline … which includes a call Jussie made to Abel earlier in the evening to set up a training session the next day.
And, we’re told Jussie’s camp is especially upset at the Police Superintendent who claimed his wounds were self-inflicted, claiming Jussie didn’t mention anything to the doorman as he entered his apartment building after the incident. Jussie’s camp says the record is clear … the doorman mentioned the cuts on his face, and Jussie responded, “I was just jumped.”
The sources say … Jussie’s camp believes Abel’s own words after the incident prove the attack was real. Abel texted him hours after the alleged attack, after it became public, “Bruh say it ain’t true. I’m praying for speedy recovery. S**t is wild. [prayer emoji].”
Also, the sources say Jussie’s camp is upset the media jumped on his initial statement that his attackers were white. They point to a security guard at the nearby Sheraton hotel who saw the 2 alleged assailants running from the scene wearing ski masks. The guard flashed a light at one of them, saw his eyes and nose bridge and told cops the person was white.
The camp says all of this is in police documents.