Smollett did a “dry run” of the attack the day prior to the incident, prosecutors say.
The two brothers who were arrested in connection with the attack have said the attack was orchestrated by Smollett.
Smollett, however, initially told police he was attacked in downtown Chicago early on the morning of Jan. 29 by two men wearing ski masks who were shouting racial and homophobic slurs at him, according to Chicago police. Smollett told police that he was thrown to the ground and attacked by the two men who covered his face with an “80s style bandana” that had written “MAGA” on it.
The actor also said he was punched in the face, kicked and had his wrists bound with rope, police said. He told police that he had an $100 bill on him at the time of the attack and believed it was the motive behind the attack.
After he was spotted talking to reporters in mid-February, Smollett said he had been “working on the Empire pilot” at the time of the attack and that he had rehearsed it.
On Wednesday, prosecutors released copies of phone records that they say showed Smollett called his brothers early in the morning of Jan. 29 and at 10:47 a.m. Smollett called his brother Abel just 25 minutes before the alleged attack, the records show.
The alleged attack was reported a little more than an hour after the call, the records show. The men, Abel and Ola Osundairo, said they were paid $3,500 to stage the attack, prosecutors said Wednesday.
Their attorneys said they cannot speak about the case because they are being represented by a private attorney, Chicago lawyer Gloria Schmidt.