…And the Smollett epic continues.

Investigators purportedly know why Empire’s Jussie Smollett faked an attack involving a noose and a mysterious chemical.

Chicago’s CBS 2 reports that a racist letter addressed to Jussie was recently sent to the television program’s Illinois studio. According to the station’s source, when it didn’t make a louder noise in the press, the actor decided to create his own story:

“When the letter didn’t get enough attention, he concocted the staged attack,” a source told CBS 2 Investigator Brad Edwards. Other sources corroborated that information. The blockbuster revelation into at least part of Smollett’s potential motive comes two days after CBS 2’s Charlie De Mar reported Smollett and two brothers — Ola and Abel Osundairo — staged the attack on Jan. 29 in Streeterville. De Mar spoke on the phone exclusively with the Osundairo brothers Monday afternoon. In a joint statement, they said: “We are not racist. We are not homophobic and we are not anti-Trump. We were born and raised in Chicago and are American citizens.”

As per the CBS piece, on January 22nd, Jussie received mail featuring a drawn, hanged stick figure with a gun to his head, “MAGA” in capital letters, and ransom-note-style cut-out magazine letters spelling “You will die, black fag.”

The powder was later determined to be aspirin.

But could Jussie have also participated in the letter sent to the show’s Chicago Cinespace Studios?

More from CBS 2:

The note was crafted with letters apparently cut out from magazines to form words. The pieced-together message contained racial and homophobic threats directed at Smollett. A magazine is one of the pieces of evidence retrieved from the brother’s (who, along with his sibling, is an acquaintance of Jussie’s) home last week during a search conducted by CPD. Investigators also recovered a book of stamps. … During the search of the brothers’ home last week, a “piece of paper/writing” was also seized. CBS 2 is the only news source with video from inside that house. Police evidence logs exclusively obtained by CBS 2, show investigators took the writing sample, magazine, and a “wallet with stamps.” Sources say at least one of the brothers bought the rope used in the incident at Smollett’s request. The sources also say the “Empire” actor paid for the rope, which was purchased at the Crafty Beaver Hardware Store in the Ravenswood neighborhood the weekend of Jan. 25.

Sources said one of the brothers held the rope and poured bleach while the other wore a plain red hat and yelled slurs at Smollett.

The sources say the red hat was bought at an Uptown beauty supply store and that the attack was supposed to happen before Jan. 29. The brothers told detectives the three men rehearsed the attack days prior to it happening. Smollett paid the brothers $3,500.

What do you make of this latest turn? If Jussie faked an attack, he was surely capable of a mail hoax. Furthermore, if the brother sent the letter and the siblings are friends of Jussie’s, that certainly seems to suggest this was a — for lack of a better term — package deal.

Please sound off in the Comments section below.

-Alex

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