Netflix to explore Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax in documentary from prodco Raw

The Truth About Jussie Smollett? drops on Netflix in August

Netflix has ordered a documentary examining the now-notorious hoax in which American actor Jussie Smollett staged a hate crime against himself.

The 90-minute film, which will include an interview with Smollett, is being produced by All3Media-backed UK prodco Raw, which has produced The Tinder Swindler and Don’t F**k with Cats for Netflix.

The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is described as an account of an “allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story. With first-hand interviews from those at the helm, including investigating police, lawyers, journalists and Jussie himself, this compelling documentary invites the audience to decide for themselves who is telling The Truth About Jussie Smollett?”

The programme, directed by Gagan Rehill (Ashley Madison: Sex, Lies & Scandal) and executive produced by Raw’s Tom Sheahan and Tim Wardle, will be available on Netflix from August 22.

The green light comes six years after Smollett, who appeared in Fox drama Empire, said he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two masked assailants.

The following month he was arrested for allegedly paying two men to stage the attack and was later sentenced to jail but served only six days after his lawyers appealed.

In November 2024, his conviction was overturned and in May a settlement was reached, with Smollett making a US$60,000 charitable donation to Chicago institutions.

Docs and docuseries continue to drive consistently high viewership on Netflix.

In the US, projects that have landed in Netflix’s weekly top 10 list over the past few months include Cocaine Air: Smugglers at 30,000ft, Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders, American Manhunt: Osama bin Laden, Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story and Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers.

Last week, Netflix released Amy Bradley Is Missing (Ample Entertainment), a three-part true-crime docuseries examining the 1998 disappearance of a 23-year-old woman from a Caribbean cruise and her family’s search for answers. This week, the series leapt to number two on Netflix’s global top 10 list for English-language series.