Jussie Smollett made a name for himself while starring on Fox’s Empire, but most of the buzz by the end of his time on the music drama had nothing to do with his performances as Jamal Lyon. The actor was at the center of a scandal in 2019 when he was reportedly attacked in Chicago, only to then be arrested on charges of filing a false police report, was cut from the cast of Empire, eventually found guilty in court, and then walked out of jail after serving just days of his sentence.
Now, The Truth About Jussie Smollett? documentary has premiered in the 2025 Netflix schedule, while the actor is just over a month away from his return to Fox in the 2025 TV schedule for the first time since Empire. Let’s start with his first big comeback of 2025: the Netflix documentary.
How Netflix Is Hyping The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is a documentary currently available with a Netflix subscription, clocking in at just under 90 minutes. Categorized in the genres of “Documentary Films,” “Historical Documentaries,” and “True Crime Documentaries,” the project features interviews with Jussie Smollett himself, as well as police, lawyers, journalists, and investigators who have claimed to find new evidence about the alleged 2019 attack. Billed as the “shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story,” Netflix hyped the documentary on social media upon release. Take a look:
Subscribers will have to check out the documentary to see just how candid Smollett was during his interviews, and to discover if there’s a reason behind the doc having a question mark in the title. The project comes from RAW, the production company behind the unexpectedly popular Don’t F**k with Cats and the controversial Tinder Swindler for the streamer.
At the time of writing, the actor has not publicly commented or promoted The Truth About Jussie Smollett? on social media, and I’m curious to learn if there will be elements of the finished product that he hates, as was the case for Martha Stewart and her Netflix documentary. And that’s not all I’m curious about.
Jussie Smollett’s Upcoming Reality TV Return To Fox
Jussie Smollett is soon making his return to Fox for the first time since he was cut from Empire in 2019. He won’t be back in the scripted sphere, however, but rather part of the cast of Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test Season 4. As one of the celebrity recruits, Smollett will attempt to tackle and endure training exercises led by an elite team of ex-special forces operatives. That’s no small task, if we go by earlier seasons of the reality show.
Season 1 contestant Kate Gosselin had to be medically evacuated with a suspected broken neck, for one. (Fortunately, her injuries were not quite that severe upon evaluation.) Dr. Drew Pinsky was another celebrity contestant who had to be medically withdrawn, with heat exhaustion getting the better of him. The final challenge of the first season was downright brutal, both mentally and physically. On Instagram, Smollett seemed to approach his choice to go on the show with a sense of humor. He posted this [edited for clarity] :
It was at this moment I said… ‘I should’ve just done The Masked Singer.’ 😂 Special Forces FOX [premieres] September 25th on Fox. Let’s get it. 🦾.
Season 4 will be set in Morocco, pitting contestants against the extreme challenges of urban warfare. For the first time in Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test history, some of the eighteen recruits will arrive paired with a spouse or family member, but compete as individuals. Challenges will include training in desert terrain, a rat-run through dark and narrow tunnels, an urban ladder crossing between buildings 50 feet above city streets, and more.
So, why am I curious about Jussie Smollett as part of the cast? Aside from the controversy and how he exited from Empire as the most obvious factors, I’m wondering if the timing of the release of his Netflix documentary just weeks before the Special Forces premiere will affect whether or not viewers will root for him. Plus, he filmed Special Forces well before the August 22 release of the documentary, so how he conducts himself on the reality series won’t be affected by however the public reacts to his doc.
The other Season 4 contestants include Kody Brown, Brittany Cartwright, Randall Cobb, Eric Decker, Jessie James Decker, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East, Mark Estes, Gia Giudice, Teresa Giudice, Chanel Iman, Brianna LaPaglia, Johnny Manziel, Eva Marcille, Ravi V. Patel, Christie Pearce Rampone, and Nick Young. Tune in to Fox on Thursday, September 25 at 9 p.m. ET to catch the first episode.
