The Jussie Smollett case has taken another turn, leaving many scratching their heads wondering when the truth will see the light of day.
According to TMZ, a check for $3,500, the amount the Empire actor allegedly paid Abel and Ola Osundairo for the attack may have been a payment for personal physical training. The check was reportedly written January 23, six days before the alleged attack with a memo that reads “5 week Nutrition/Workout program Don’t Go.”
Sources close to the 36-year-old actor say “Don’t Go” was the name of a music video Smollett planned to film shirtless. He enlisted the brothers to help him lose about 20 pounds for the video. Text messages between Abel, whom he calls Bon, and Smollett seem to back up the claim. In one message from Abel it reads “I know you’re traveling today, make sure you get at least 45 mins of cardio.”
A text on Jan. 20 outlines a meal plan that included chicken thigh, StarKist Tuna, Eggs and Smucker’s peanut butter. Five days later, another text indicates how much weight Smollett could expect to lose. “This is the meal plan and the breakdown of macronutrients. Also includes projected fat loss.”
Those close to Jussie say the payment breakdown goes as follow: $600 a week for a five-week workout plan, and $100 a week for a five-week meal plan.
News of the payment for training doesn’t mean the attack wasn’t staged.
