The Truth About Jussie Smollett?

The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is a 2025 documentary film for Netflix, directed by Gagan Rehill and produced by Raw TV. The film revisits the January 2019 hoax in which actor Jussie Smollett falsely reported being the victim of a hate crime in Chicago, Illinois, and the ensuing police investigation, media coverage, criminal case, and political fallout.

The movie was released on Netflix on 22 August 2025, featuring Smollett's first extended on-camera account of the case since 2019. It also includes interviews with Chicago police officials, journalists, lawyers, and the Osundario brothers, whose statements were central to the prosecution's theory.

The documentary summarizes a complex legal narrative: Smollett was charged in early 2019 with filing false police reports but quickly reached a plea deal to forfeit his $10,000 bond and perform 15 hours of community service. Following a public outcry that Chicago authorities had been lenient because he was a celebrity, a special prosecutor reinstated the case, and Smollett was convicted in 2021 and sentenced in 2022 to five months of jail time. He appealed and was released after serving six days of the sentence. The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction on 21 November 2024 solely on due process grounds, ruling his 2019 guilty plea precluded the state from prosecuting him again on the same charges. The Illinois Supreme Court made no factual finding regarding his innocence or guilt. In interviews in the documentary, Smollett says he is innocent.