Actor Jussie Smollett will stand trial for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself in 2019.  

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On Jan. 29, 2019, the “Empire” actor said two masked men in Chicago attacked him, alleging they yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him. Smollett told police the incident happened downtown around 2 a.m. and that the men poured an “unknown substance” on him before putting a rope around his neck, the Associated Press reported.  

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When speaking to police, Smollett also told investigators the men told him he was in “MAGA country.” The alleged incident came after the actor received a threatening letter at the Fox studio in Chicago.  

Weeks later, police came to the conclusion Smollett hired two Nigerian brothers to pretend to attack him for $3,500. The actor was then charged with staging the attack to help further his career and get a higher salary.  

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Smollett has pleaded not guilty to felony disorderly conduct charges. The trial was delayed for several reasons, including COVID-19 and because charges were filed, dropped and refiled by a special prosecutor who took over the case.  

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Since the high-profile incident, Smollett has not been seen on television and he has not released any new music. However, he directed an independent film premiering at the American Black Film Festival called “B-Boy Blues.”