Jussie Smollett: I haven't told the truth

His confession is there, if you know what to look for

This is the third part of my look at the words of convicted liar Jessie Smollett. Using a 2019 interview, I’ve been pointing out his deceptive language and also where he lets the truth come out despite his best endeavours.

In part one, I looked at how he described the “attack” that he staged.

In part two, I dealt with his interactions with the police.

In this part, we see how he talks about the allegations he was facing at the time saying that his story wasn’t adding it.

Gut instinct

People have inbuilt protection mechanisms. One of them alerts us if it feels we are not being given the truth. It sends us a signal to be wary of what is being said but doesn’t give us the specifics of why. Using the analysis techniques I use here, you can learn to see what it is that your intuitive warning mechanism has spotted.

In the case of Smollett, his story was setting off numerous intuitive feelings inside people who started doubting his accuracy. Smollett claimed he was truthful and that the allegations were inaccurate.

Interviewer - What other ones (stories) had you heard that were inaccurate?

That I had said that they were wearing MAGA hats. I never said that. I didn't need to add anything like that.

They called me a (expletive). They called me (expletive) there's no which way you cut it. I don't need some MAGA hat as the cherry on top of some racist sundae.

If Smollett had finished his answer sooner, it would have been convincing. If he had said “that I had said they were wearing MAGA hats. I never said that”, it would have been a straightforward and factual denial.

But Smollett feels the need to say more. He introduces the thought of adding something fictional to the story, although he denies doing it. His brain is fixated on fabrication.

A plausible denial of this would be “I didn’t say they wore MAGA hats because they didn’t”. Smollett’s logic is, “I didn’t need to make that up because the story already contained an element of racism and homophobia”. He’s revealing he is thinking of this as a work of fiction, which he wants to be plausible.

The dating game

I've heard that it was a date gone bad. Which I still resent that narrative. I'm not going to go out and get a tuna sandwich or a salad to meet somebody. That's ridiculous. And it's offensive.

Yes, there's Grindr? Yes, there's Jack. Yes, there's all of these things which I have not been on in years. I can admit that I was on there back in the day. I was single. You know what I'm saying? But I hadn't been on that in years. But aside from that, it's offensive.

And I absolutely resent that narrative because it's bull, its bull, and it's unfair. It's unfair to the investigation. It's unfair to, I hate this word, but it's unfair to the victim.

This is a beautiful answer because, unlike a lot of what Smollett says, it’s true. We know it wasn’t a date gone bad. We get to see how Smollett deals with being truthful.

He’s to the point, there are few unneeded words. Look at it, “I still resent that narrative”, “it’s offensive”, it’s bull”, “it’s unfair to the investigation”. In this extract, Smollett is much more succinct than when he is lying.

You can feel his anger at people using the stereotype of the promiscuous gay man. Sadly, he displays more anger and hurt at this than he does for being the subject of a violent, racist and homophonic attack. Just one more indicator that he was making that up.

There is one thing that isn’t straightforward. Him saying that he hasn’t used dating apps “in years”. I don’t believe his words, he spends too much time trying to convince us that he did once use them, but he doesn’t any more. He says he “can admit” to once using them, this implies there is something he “can’t admit” to.

The last line of this extract has Smollett refer to “the victim” of the crime. That was you Jussie, why not say “it’s unfair to me”? The two possibilities are he knows he’s not a victim, so it’s hard to refer to himself that way. Or he is promiscuous and into hookups, so the stories that it is a date gone bad aren’t particularly unfair on him.

The confession?

Interviewer - What do you feel people need to hear the most from the story?

I think that what people need to hear, it's just the truth. It's just the truth because everybody has their own idea. Some are healing and some are hurtful. But I just want young people, young members of the LGBTQ community, young, black children, to know how strong they are, to know the power that they hold in their little pinky.

So often in deceptive stories, the person telling it wants their story to have a greater meaning. They want to inspire people, they hope to warn people, they wish to raise awareness.

This mostly down to the thought of “look, I’m saying this for the greater good, I’m a nice person, don’t doubt this story”. Smollett is using this tactic here.

That’s not the most worrying part of this. This interview took place a few weeks after the “attack”. When asked what people need to hear, he replies, “the truth”. You mean they haven’t heard it yet, Jussie?

This feel like a subliminal confession, “what people need to hear (is] the truth”.

There are a few things I would expect to hear in response to the question “what do people need to hear.” “The truth” is not one of them. It again exposes Smollett as a man who has thoughts of fiction and fabrication as high priorities in his head.

Conclusion

Through the three posts looking at Smollett’s words, there are multiple indicators of deception in his language. This is not a truthful account.

Smollett consistently reveals in his words that he is a man who is thinking a lot about truth, fiction, and fabrication.

It would have been possible to look at his words in the interview and put together an accurate theory as to what happened.

• It was a fake attack

• He knew the “attackers” beforehand

• He was obsessed with giving police the evidence he wanted them to have

• He planned the attack on his phone

• It involved someone he knew from this tv show

• He ensured the “attack” took place in front of a camera

What do you spot in his words? Let me know in the comments below.

I’ll be posting a bonus fourth part on my Facebook page, which you can follow here. Also, on the Facebook page you can join a new private group to discuss some other statements that I post regularly. See you there.