Netflix To Air Documentary Claiming Jussie Smollett Didn't Lie About Race Hoax

In August, Netflix will release a documentary about Jussie Smollett and his 2019 hate crime hoax. According to the logline, the documentary aims to prove that Smollett may not have staged the hoax after all.

"The shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story," a description for the documentary reads.

Is that so?

While it's unclear what "new evidence" the doc will detail, the evidence against Smollett is conclusive. Surveillance footage shows that the Osundairo brothers, who worked with Smollett on the set of "Empire," met with Smollett before and after the "attack." The brothers later testified that they participated in a "dress rehearsal" two days prior to staging the hate crime, during which Smollett directed them to "fake punch" him. 

Chicago police say they discovered records that indicate Smollett paid the goons $3,500 in an attempt to make it look like he was the target of both racist and homophobic violence.

Variety summarized the legal outcome below:

"Smollett was initially indicted on 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct, but the charges were dropped. A year later, Smollett was re-indicted, and after a high-profile trial in 2021, the actor was convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to 30 months probation, including 150 days in jail, plus fines totaling more than $120,000. In 2024, the conviction was reversed on procedural grounds, as the Illinois Supreme Court found that the re-prosecution violated due process. In 2025, Smollett settled with the city of Chicago, and he continues to deny that he staged the attack.

Netflix airing a documentary with such a premise is yet another example of the all-too-true phrase that the demand for racism in America vastly outstrips the supply. 

This case is over. Smollett lied. He got caught.

Given the video footage, there is virtually no scenario in which he can prove his innocence. Thus, one has to question why Netflix would give him the chance.

We understand the streaming wars are contentious. However, getting into business with a proven liar and wannabe race victim is cringe. 

Is Netflix next going to stream a documentary claiming someone put a noose in Bubba Wallace's stall, and a Fever fan shouted racial slurs at WNBA forward Angel Reese? 

The documentary to air is one about the rise of race hoaxes in America and how society continues to fall for them, despite the obvious warning signs.

On a macro level, there are more examples of race hoaxes in the past five years than actual cases of racism. Unless, of course, you consider the coordinated racism against white people in the form of DEI.  But that's a different story--one Netflix isn't interested in telling.

Prediction: the usual suspects will fall for the new narrative that Smollett is innocent. People like Jemele Hill, that is.

"The Truth About Jussie Smollett?" will premiere on Aug. 22. OutKick will provide a review.