Who is Jussie Smollett and why is he trending after Ilhan Omar was sprayed with unknown liquid at Minneapolis town hall?

Actor Jussie Smollett was pulled into an internet squabble following an incident involving Rep. Ilhan Omar at a Minneapolis town hall on Tuesday night, January 27. Ilhan Omar, a Democrat from Minnesota, was rushed by a man during the event and sprayed with an unknown liquid, according to video from the scene. Footage shows the man approaching Rep. Omar at her lectern as she was speaking and spraying a substance in her direction before being swiftly tackled by security.

Following the incident, comparisons to Jussie Smollett began circulating online, with some social media users alleging that the attack on Ilhan Omar had been staged.

Also Read: Watch video: Ilhan Omar sprayed with unknown substance during Minneapolis town hall; rep says she is unharmed

Why did Jussie Smollett start trending?

The name Jussie Smollett trended after some users on social media suggested the Ilhan Omar spraying incident was staged, drawing comparisons to Smollett’s 2019 case.

Referring to the viral video, one user claimed, “Look at the video!! Right before he gets up, she looked directly at him and gave him the sign!!”


A separate account wrote, “Are we all in agreement that Ilhan Omar staged this BS attack?? She's the Jussie Smollett of politics....”


Another user added, “This is the fakest, most staged thing I've ever seen.
Jussie Smollett has met his match.”

Who is Jussie Smollett?

Jussie Smollett is an American actor, filmmaker, and singer who began his career as a child actor in 1991, making his film debut in The Mighty Ducks (1992). Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire from 2015 to 2019. In January 2019, Smollett claimed he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago, saying he was attacked late at night while walking home from a restaurant.

According to Smollett, he was assaulted around 2:00 a.m. on January 29, 2019, when two masked men punched him in the face, poured bleach on him, called him the N-word, and wrapped a rope around his neck, the BBC reported at the time. Smollett was taken to the hospital, and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) initially investigated the case as a potential hate crime.

How the Smollett case unraveled

The case later became one of the most high-profile false police report investigations in modern US history. As the investigation progressed, the CPD said it could not find evidence supporting Smollett’s account. The case shifted after the February 13 arrest of Obabinjo (Ola) and Abimbola (Abel) Osundairo, two brothers from Nigeria who had appeared as extras on Empire.

The Osundairo brothers had purchased ski masks and gloves prior to the alleged attack, NBC reported. During questioning, the brothers told investigators that the attack had been staged at Smollett’s request and that he paid them $3,500, plus $100 for supplies. Police later alleged Smollett staged the attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary on Empire, the Guardian reported, citing police officials.

Smollett was later convicted, though the conviction was eventually overturned by the state supreme court. He has continued to deny wrongdoing and maintains that he was the victim of an attack.

Impact on Smollett’s career

Despite the overturned conviction, the controversy affected Smollett’s career. Though he was a central figure on Empire, he was written off the show after his arrest and did not appear in its sixth and final season.

The renewed attention to Smollett’s case comes as social media users continue to debate the Ilhan Omar spraying incident, drawing comparisons that have once again pushed his name into public discussion.