Paras Griffin/Getty Jussie Smollett opens up about his 2019 alleged hate crime hoax in the new Netflix documentaryThe Truth About Jussie Smollett? In the documentary, Smollett says the initial support he received as news spread that he'd been involved in an attack, which he'd later be accused of orchestrating, made him feel "extremely emasculated" Smollett says seeing people talk about him on social media also made him feel like he was "being eulogized" Jussie Smollettis opening up about the aftermath of his 2019 alleged hate crime hoax. In Netflix's new documentaryThe Truth About Jussie Smollett?, premiering on Friday, Aug. 22, the actor, 43, recalls feeling "like I was being eulogized" on social media as news quickly spread that he'd allegedly been a victim of a hate crime, the same crime he'd later be accused of orchestrating for attention. "I felt like I had died, and I was alive to see — and what people were saying was so kind, but it was too much for me," he says. "It made me very uncomfortable. It made me extremely embarrassed. It made me feel extremely emasculated." He claimed the two men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, put arope around his neckand doused him with bleach. Prosecutors alleged that Smollett paid $3,500 to two brothers, Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo, whom he worked with on the showEmpire, to help him pull off the staged attack. InThe Truth About Jussie Smollett?Smollett claims he paid the brothers the $3,500 to get him an illegal herbal supplement from Nigeria, while the brothers claim the actor paid them to beat him up. "I believe he wanted to be the poster boy of activism for Black people, for gay people, for marginalized people," says Bola. Adds Ola: "I thought it was crazy, but at the same time, I'm like, 'It's Hollywood.' This is how it goes." Smollett claims he was "playing whack-a-mole with rumors, with lies," and "at a certain point, it's too many, and you can't catch them all." Related:https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf He wassentenced to 150 daysin jail in March 2022, given a $25,000 fine and ordered to pay more than $120,000 in restitution for overtime expenses incurred by the Chicago Police Department. Six days into his sentence, Smollett was released on bail. The court ruled that the actor's rights had been violated because a special prosecutor pursued charges that were previously dropped by the Cook County State's Attorney. On the first day the brothers were placed in custody, police searched their home with a warrant and found several guns, which Ola is not allowed to possess since he is a convicted felon. Footage is then shown in the documentary of Ola in custody having a private conversation with his lawyer, Gloria Schmidt, where she outlines to him the difference between having your record sealed and having it expunged. "To my eyes, that's when the brothers broker a deal," says documentary producer Abigail Carr. "There was no deal with the police," says Ola, as Bola adds, "You don't need an immunity deal when you're telling the truth." "I was conflicted," Bola continues. "I didn't want to go expose him. I wanted him to be a man and come out and say what happened himself." Smollett, meanwhile, says he "cannot stand the brothers for what they did" and "for how they've allowed themselves to benefit." "But, with that said, I see that from the beginning they were victims in this," Smollett says. "What is important, regardless of what you think about me... the fact is I didn't do that," he says. "That's all that matters." The Truth About Jussie Smollett?begins streaming on Netflix on Aug. 22. Read the original article onPeople