Six years after a story split the internet, Netflix returns to the scene with The Truth About Jussie Smollett? – a brisk, provocative documentary that revisits the 2019 Chicago incident and the media firestorm that followed. Directed by Gagan Rehill and produced by RAW (the team behind Don’t F**k with Cats and The Tinder Swindler), the film features new interviews with Smollett alongside police officials, lawyers, journalists, and the Osundairo brothers, inviting audiences to re-examine a case that seemed settled—until it wasn’t.
Released on August 22, 2025, the 86-minute doc doesn’t promise tidy answers. Instead, it leans into ambiguity, grappling with competing narratives rather than declaring a verdict.
Here is everything you need to know about The Truth About Jussie Smollett? from the plot and participants to critical reaction and where to watch. The trailer is at the bottom of the article.
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All the key details about The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
- Title: The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
- Format: Documentary (Film)
- Length: 1h 26m
- Genre: True crime, documentary
- Year of release: 2025
- Director: Gagan Rehill
- Main cast: Jussie Smollett; Abimbola “Bola/Abel” Osundairo; Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo; Eddie Johnson — all self-portrayals
- Produced by: RAW for Netflix
What happens in The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
The film reconstructs the January 2019 night Smollett reported a racist and homophobic attack, then tracks how the investigation rapidly pivoted—from public sympathy to police skepticism and, eventually, criminal charges alleging he staged the assault with the Osundairo brothers. Through on-camera interviews, surveillance footage, and media clips, the documentary lays out conflicting accounts and leaves viewers to parse credibility for themselves.
It also charts the legal whiplash that followed: a 2021 conviction for filing false police reports—later overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2024 on due-process grounds tied to an earlier non-prosecution agreement. The film doesn’t pronounce innocence or guilt; it spotlights the gap between legal outcomes and public opinion.
Who’s in the cast of The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
As a first-person documentary, everyone appears as themselves. Interviewees include Jussie Smollett; former Chicago Police leaders Eddie Johnson and Melissa Staples; the Osundairo brothers; attorneys and journalists. Their recollections—and contradictions—form the movie’s backbone.
Is The Truth About Jussie Smollett? based on a true story?
Yes. The film revisits the real Chicago case and its legal aftermath, culminating in the 2024 state supreme court reversal. The decision did not rule on Smollett’s innocence; it focused on process and prior agreements.
What are the reviews on The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
Early reactions describe the documentary as sharp and watchable, if deliberately unresolved “popcorn-worthy” but determined to let audiences judge the evidence themselves. Critics have highlighted its access (Smollett, police, the brothers) and its exploration of how media narratives hardened into certainty.
Where was The Truth About Jussie Smollett? filmed?
The subject is Chicago-centric, blending new interviews with archival materials and reenactments. The production leans on interview stages and news footage rather than travelogue-style location work.
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The Truth About Jussie Smollett?: behind the scenes and fun facts
- Produced by RAW, the U.K. company behind several conversation-starting Netflix true-crime titles.
- Arrives in the wake of the 2024 court reversal, ensuring fresh scrutiny of evidence and process.
- Marks Smollett’s first extended on-camera account of the case since 2019.
What’s The Truth About Jussie Smollett? like?
If you were drawn to Don’t F**k with Cats or The Tinder Swindler, this is in your lane—true-crime craft with a meta layer about how narratives form in the press and in public imagination. Expect brisk pacing, strong access, and a final act that invites debate rather than closure.
When is The Truth About Jussie Smollett? coming out on streaming?
Available now. The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is streaming on Netflix. Release date: August 22, 2025. Watch on Netflix
Watch the trailer
In the meantime, here’s the trailer: The Truth About Jussie Smollett? — Official Trailer (Netflix).
