Cardi B is shredding "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett amid reports that he "staged" his much-publicized attack.
During a livestream video, the rapper said she is "really disappointed" in the actor, claiming in very colorful language that he ruined Black History Month..
"I'm not gonna say…yet, until he said out his mouth that it was fake and this s— was staged. I don't wanna completely blame him, because, you know, like, somebody that I was talking to, they said, like, you know, 'Police in Chicago are racist.' So they might probably tryna frame him and make him look like he's a liar," she said.
On Jan. 29, Jussie claimed he was attacked in Chicago by two men shouting homophobic slurs at him and telling him it was "MAGA country." The men, Jussie claimed, dumped bleach on him and put a rope around his neck.
Almost immediately, there were concerns that something was amiss, particularly after Jussie refused to turn over his cell phone records (he later turned over a very redacted record, according to reports). Late last week, two men allegedly affiliated with Jussie were questioned about their potential involvement. Then, on Monday, multiple reports indicated that Jussie was in on the incident and promised to pay two men for staging an attack. The Chicago CBS affiliate quoted a source who said the three even rehearsed the attack beforehand.
Cardi, though, said she wanted to give Jussie the benefit of the doubt, sharing a story in which she said police once allegedly put her in a headlock after they responded to a call about an altercation.
Jussie's lawyers argued that their famous client is innocent of any wrongdoing.
"As a victim of a hate crime who has cooperated with the police investigation, Jussie Smollett is angered and devastated by recent reports that the perpetrators are individuals he is familiar with," the statement said. "He 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."