Jussie Smollett Did Not Refuse To Hand Over His Phone To Police: Report

BYAron A.4.1K Views
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Jussie Smollett attends Espolòn Celebrates Day of the Dead at Academy Nightclub on November 1, 2018 in Hollywood, California.
Sources close to Smollett clarify details pertaining to MAGA, rope and phone records.

Police continue to investigate into the assault of Jussie Smollett. The information pertaining to his assault has been a bit unclear at parts, prompting the actor himself to admit there's been misinformation on his story being spread due to hearsay. However, sources close to the actor have stepped forward and clarified a few parts of the story.

Tasia Wells/Getty Images

Sources close to Smollett spoke to TMZ and wanted to point out some of the inaccuracies in the story of his assault. For one, they said that he didn't refuse to hand over his phone to authorities. The police reportedly "informally asked" if he would give them his phone to confirm that he was speaking to his manager. He told them that he didn't feel comfortable doing so and declined but he was also never asked about his phone records. The Chicago police rep initially stated that he refused to hand over his phone. However, Smollett agreed to hand over phone records and is reportedly gathering his phone records to hand over.

The sources also clarified reports that Jussie said the men were wearing MAGA hats. Jussie told police that the men yelled "This is a MAGA country" but weren't donning any hats.

Finally, they clarified reports that Jussie had the rope around his neck when he went to the hospital which isn't what happened. They said that he had the rope around his neck when the police arrived to his building 42 minutes after his attack in order to "preserve the evidence."


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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