The North Star with Shaun King

The North Star with Shaun King

Perjury by Any Other Name

What #FreeJussie means to the fragile criminal justice system, and why sometimes jail time is just.

Branden Janese
Mar 17, 2022
∙ Paid
62
2
Share
Photo by Brian Cassella-Pool/Getty Images

In January 2019 when Jussie Smollett claimed that he was attacked by two men on a bitter cold night in Chicago, I smelled a rat. I didn’t want to vocalize my suspicions because of all of the support that he was receiving, he even called himself the ‘gay Tupac’, and who would feel they earned such a moniker if it …

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to The North Star with Shaun King to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
A guest post by
Branden Janese
© 2025 The North Star
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture