Jussie Smollett halted court proceedings Tuesday (December 7) to make a request of the white prosecutor cross-examining him.
According to reports from inside the Chicago courtroom, the former Empire star reportedly asked prosecutor Dan Webb not to use the n-word in full as he found it offensive.
Webb was apparently reading text messages between Jussie and two key witnesses in the case –– the Osundairo brothers –– aloud during the cross-examination when Jussie asked him to stop.
“Can you spell or say n-word out of respect for every African American in this room? You’ve been saying that word a lot,” Jussie said from the stand.
Smollett interrupts special prosecutor Dan Webb as Webb was reading aloud one of Smollett’s messages that had N word in it.
Smollett: can you spell or say the N word out of respect for every African American in this room? you’ve been saying that word a lot.— Matt Finn (@MattFinnFNC) December 7, 2021
To compromise, Webb proposed Jussie read the text messages aloud himself, which he apparently agreed to.
One of the messages Jussie read came from Abimbola Osundairo who texted, “N––a finally made it just landed haha.”
After the cross-examination, Jussie stepped down from the stand and the defense rested its case.
As previously reported, the actor’s on trial over the January 2019 alleged hate crime attack and faces six disorderly conduct charges. Osundairo testified earlier in the trial that Jussie paid him and his brother to carry out the attack.
On Monday (December 6), Jussie told the court he considered Abimbola a friend and discussed a sexual relationship with the aspiring actor.
Closing arguments are set to begin on Wednesday (December 8).
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