Jussie Smollett — the former Empire actor whose staged hate crime hoax in 2019 became a national scandal — is headed back to television this fall.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smollett will be one of 18 contestants on Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, a reality competition that puts celebrities through grueling challenges modeled after elite military training.
Joining him will be a mix of reality stars, athletes, and entertainers, including Sister Wives’ Kody Brown, NFL veterans Randall Cobb, Eric Decker, and Andrew East, Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East, Real Housewives of New Jersey duo Teresa and Gia Giudice, model Chanel Iman, former NBA player Nick Young, and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel. The season will also feature married pairs (Eric and Jessie James Decker; Andrew and Shawn Johnson East) and a mother-daughter team (Teresa and Gia Giudice).
Smollett’s participation comes nearly six years after the incident that derailed his acting career. In January 2019, he claimed he was attacked in Chicago by two men shouting “This is MAGA country,” who allegedly tied a noose around his neck and hurled homophobic slurs.
Initial media coverage treated his account as fact — until evidence emerged that Smollett had paid two Nigerian brothers to stage the assault in an alleged bid for publicity and higher pay.
The fallout was swift and chaotic. Prosecutors initially charged him with filing a false police report, but Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx abruptly dropped the charges, prompting public outrage and a special prosecutor’s review.
In 2022, Smollett was convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 150 days in jail, along with being ordered to repay $130,000 to cover investigative costs. He later settled with the city by donating $60,000 to Chicago charities.
Last year, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his convictions — but only on Fifth Amendment double jeopardy grounds, citing Foxx’s earlier dismissal of charges. Special prosecutor Dan Webb stressed that the ruling “had nothing to do with Mr. Smollett’s innocence,” adding the trial evidence was “overwhelming” and the jury’s guilty verdict unanimous.
Smollett, however, maintains he was wronged, writing in a public statement: “I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system. I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear, and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.”
