By MCKENZIE STOUTE

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett is in hot water after allegedly orchestrating a hate crime against himself. He has been charged with filing a false police report after claiming to be the victim of a racist, homophobic attack.

Smollett claimed that he was attacked on Jan. 29, by two masked men while walking home in Chicago. He described his attackers as wearing mask, “Make America Great Again” hats and yelling racist and homophobic slurs at him. Smollett continued to explain how one of the attackers tied a noose around his neck and doused him with bleach.

Many stars and fans of the “Empire” actor took to social media to voice their support for Smollett.

When searching for evidence police couldn’t find any surveillance camera footage of the attack but saw two men who matched the description Smollett gave oh his attackers, walking the street he claimed he was attacked on. Come to find out these men are friends of Smollett and stated,

“Jussie hired us to stage this attack against him because he felt a threatening letter he received wasn’t getting enough attention.”

Smollett continues to deny these claims with his attorney public stating, “Jussie has now been further victimized by claims attributed to these alleged perpetrators that Jussie played a role in his own attack. Nothing is further from the truth and anyone claiming otherwise is lying.”

Currently, the public doesn’t know who to believe, this story giving individuals yet another reason to not trust what is put out in the news media.