Empire

Jussie Smollett is on a mission to give children in Flint something to believe in ... donating money to kids programs and helping organize a backpack and toy drive for Christmas.

Sources close to Jussie tell TMZ ... the actor recently paid a surprise visit to Flint, Michigan with youth and environmental activist, Mari Copeny AKA Little Miss Flint, and together they helped surprise a school with new backpacks and toys.

Jussie took his good deeds one step further ... we're told he donated $10,000 to the Flint KIDS program.

We've seen this kind of gesture from Jussie before ... last year, he donated $125,000 to various charities ahead of the holidays, including Flint KIDS and the Black AIDS Institute.

Parents at the toy drive tell us Jussie appeared to be in great spirits, and he made the kids feel like their Christmas is complete.

One of Jussie Smollett's alleged "attackers" is on a roll -- shortly after starring in his first movie ... he's hanging out with one of the biggest celeb athletes in the world.

Abel Osundairo met up with Floyd Mayweather this weekend at the undefeated fighter's gym in Las Vegas ... then hit up his club later on for more face time with the boxing champ.

We broke the story ... Abel's been training with Floyd's renowned trainer, Nate "The Snake" Jones, in order to advance his own promising boxing career after winning a title in Chicago's Golden Gloves tourney in April -- a fight that wasn't staged!

We're told Abel's preparing to give it a shot at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo -- representing his home nation, Nigeria -- and meeting with Money Mayweather should provide a ton of inspiration.

The Osundairo bro isn't just succeeding in boxing either ... he's on the up and up in the showbiz world too. We broke the story ... he landed the lead role in the low-budget film, "Friends Family & Lovers," directed and cowritten by the guy who also cowrote the Master P produced comedy "I Got the Hook-Up 2."

It didn't earn any Golden Globes noms or anything ... but still. Ever since being linked to Smollett's "hate crime" in Chicago on that bitter, cold night in January ... Abel's been heating up.

Can't say the same for Jussie.

Amanda Detmer -- the actress who plays Tracy on "Empire" -- is in hot water after cops say she left the scene of an accident ... and was driving under the influence.

Detmer was arrested for DUI Sunday night in Chico, CA, after allegedly smashing her vehicle into a utility pole and then taking off. Law enforcement tells TMZ ... it responded to a report about the pole and conducted a search of the area, eventually locating a vehicle with severe front-end damage.

Cops say Detmer was driving it, and when they pulled her over they confirmed she was responsible for the collision. Their investigation also determined she was drinking and driving.

She was placed under arrest and is now facing charges of DUI and leaving the scene of a traffic collision.

One of the brothers who admitted to carrying out an elaborate hoax to make it look like Jussie Smollett was the victim of a hate crime is back to acting -- before the ex-"Empire" star.

Abel Osundairo will be making his acting debut in the upcoming low-budget film, "Friends Family & Lovers," and not only that ... he's playing the main character, Dushon.

The movie's directed and co-written by Michael Ballard, who also co-wrote the Master P produced comedy "I Got the Hook Up 2," and is set to screen this weekend at the University of Chicago.

Judging by the trailer, 'FF&L' isn't going to be in the mix for a Best Picture nom, but still ... a gig's a gig, and it's more onscreen work than Smollett's gotten since his fiasco in Chicago.

As we reported ... Jussie's "Empire" character was written out of the show after his alleged hoax and got renewed in April without him.

His acting career's been on hiatus ever since, and it seems he's much more busy battling the City of Chicago. In fact, he just filed a countersuit against the city claiming malicious prosecution.

Jussie also included the Osundairo brother in his suit, which their lawyer called a sad attempt to falsely smear them.

At least Abel's not letting it stop him from launching his acting career.

Jussie Smollett has taken the offensive ... he's now suing the City of Chicago, claiming officials created a narrative that he was the mastermind of a hoax attack, and that has cost him dearly.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Smollett notes the Osundairo brothers were held for 47 hours and they adamantly denied any involvement in the assault. He says it was only after they were assured they'd get immunity that they started spinning the tale of a fake attack on the streets of Chicago.

Smollett insists the primary attacker was a white male.

He says to this day he doesn't know what involvement, if any, the Osundairo brothers had in the attack. He thinks the brothers were lured into the smear campaign by cops.

Jussie is suing the City, the Osundairo brothers and several officials, including Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.

As we reported, the City of Chicago is suing Jussie to recoup the costs of the investigation.

A decision on whether to reinstate charges against Jussie Smollett in Chicago is getting close ... because we've learned the Osundairo brothers took a trip to the special prosecutor's office.

Sources close to the case tell TMZ ... Abel and Ola met with Dan Webb's team this week because the special prosecutor wanted to hear their full story -- their version of Jussie's alleged attack.

We've obtained video of Abel and Ola arriving for the powwow in downtown Chicago ... and you see them coming in separately to meet with an attorney in Webb's office. The brothers were accompanied by their attorney, Gloria Schmidt.

Our sources say the brothers each spent a couple hours with the special prosecutor's team.

Terrence Howard says he's taking a stand for men when he battles his ex-wife, and even though he recently took an 'L' -- he still thinks he has a secret weapon on his side.

We ran into Terrence Tuesday at Crustacean in Bev Hills -- right after he got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- and asked him about the ruling last month ... when the judge ordered him to pay Michelle Ghent $1.3 million in their years-long spousal support feud.

We asked if Terrence intended to challenge it, and although he says he'll pay ... he clearly isn't conceding Michelle is right. In fact, he accuses her of playing dirty with "deceit and lies." Watch the clip, but know that Michelle's team says Terrence is delusional.

As a rep for his ex put it, "Apparently the courts don’t agree with his version of events and he seems to have a hard time sticking to the facts and the reality of what the rulings have been in this case."

Still, Terrence told us he'll come out on top in the end ... thanks to karma. And, then we got into some strange philosophical territory with him.

When we tried asking about "Empire" coming to an end, Terrence pivoted into something he's way more passionate about -- his belief that one times one is TWO. We know ... come again???

Terrence Howard's success heading into the final season "Empire" just bit him in the ass -- or should we say the wallet -- because a judge is ordering him to give his ex-wife a huge chunk of his TV earnings.

Michelle Ghent scored a 7-figure W Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court when the judge said enough is enough, and ruled Terrence must pay her $1.3 million. About $263k of that is reportedly back spousal support -- and another $1.05 million is based on the fact he's pulling in big money.

Terrence is reportedly now making north of $250k per episode of "Empire." Michelle and Terrence's money battles have been dragging on since 2013 -- and, by comparison, he was only hauling in somewhere around $120k per episode in 2015, when the show debuted.

TMZ broke the story, Michelle filed docs last year requesting her ex pay her more than $900k in back spousal support, so today's ruling -- first reported by the NY Daily News -- is a massive legal victory for her.

There's more bad news on the horizon for Terrence -- Michelle's attorneys fees.

On Friday, the judge said the fees looked "reasonable" and set a hearing for next week to determine exactly how much he'll have to pay -- but Michelle says the tab is expected to be more than $1 million.

Abel and Ola Osundairo are back in Nigeria, but this trip has no Jussie Smollett connection ... the brothers are there offering free medical services in their homeland.

Abel and Ola returned to Lagos this week ... far from the ongoing Jussie drama in Chicago.

The brothers organized a free medial outreach program, offering various free services ... like checking blood glucose levels and blood pressure, and calculating people's body mass index. Doctors were also on hand, prescribing medicines and treatments.

The brothers set up shop outside a local business and hundreds of people showed up to take advantage.

Remember ... the last time the Osundairo brothers were in Africa, they had just staged a fake attack against Jussie on a Chicago street -- at least that's their story, and cops and prosecutors believed them. Jussie says the "attack" was real.

This trek was all about community service and healthy living ... and no one cut them a check for $3,500.

Art really does imitate life -- the "Empire" crew is firing up its cameras pretty much exactly where their former star, Jussie Smollett, insists he fell victim to a racist and homophobic attack.

FOX had a bunch of crew members from the show setting up a shot Tuesday in Chicago ... literally within a stone's throw from where Jussie says the Osundairo brothers gave him a clobbering, poured bleach on him and left a rope around his neck.

The set is literally in the shadow of Jussie's apartment building ... it's the high-rise with the reflective windows.

There are only stand-ins in these pics, but it's clear "Empire" is getting ready to shoot something. No word whether they're incorporating elements of Smollett's real-life drama into the show -- but this can't be a coincidence ... they've gotta know the significance of the location.

You'll recall ... Jussie said he got jumped around 2 AM on his way home from grabbing a sandwich, just near his apartment building on the 300 block of East North Water Street.

That's where the "Empire" team had set up camp. To give you a visualization ... here's a side-by-side of the block where the attack allegedly happened, and where production trucks are now parked.

Of course, Jussie was eventually accused of lying and making the whole thing up, and got indicted by a grand jury too. He was cleared of all criminal charges though in a tit for tat with Cook County State Attorney's Office -- but he's not out of the woods yet.

The City of Chicago is suing him for the cost of the investigation and then some, and Jussie's currently in the middle of trying to fight it.

Jussie Smollett says the City of Chicago is simply trying to exact a pound of flesh from him after his criminal case was dismissed -- a move he calls unprecedented and unfair.

Jussie filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit Chi-Town filed against him to recoup the cost of the investigation into the alleged racist and homophobic attack. In the docs, Jussie says the City has no business suing him because even IF you assume he did lie about the attack -- although he's not admitting that -- there's no way he could have foreseen the enormous amount of money Chicago PD spent on the case.

Jussie also says the city's argument that he's responsible for the investigation costs falls flat because Chicago hasn't shown "a direct link between [Jussie's] statements and the costs the City incurred."

Chicago claims the investigation cost Chicago PD at least $130,000 just in overtime. As we reported, the City also wants Jussie to cover its attorneys fees, and wants punitive damages. In all, it's seeking nearly half a million bucks from Jussie.

Jussie Smollett's lawyers say the Osundairo brothers misquoted alleged defamatory statements they thought his team made, but turns out ... their own attorney said 'em.

Mark Geragos -- who repped Jussie during his criminal trial when he was still in the hot seat in Chicago -- filed legal docs asking a judge to toss the Osundairo Bros.' defamation lawsuit against him, one of his colleagues and his firm, which they filed in April.

One of the main quotes the brothers were suing over in their initial complaint was something they alleged attorney Tina Glandian -- another one of Smollett's attorneys -- said to the media that implied they were part of "illegal" Nigerian steroid trafficking.

The quote the Osundairos attributed to Glandian in their lawsuit read, "platform ... is all about being steroid-free ... Their whole thing is, you know, all-natural bodybuilding. It's ridiculous."

Welp, Geragos points out in his court filing that Ms. Glandian never said that at all -- in fact, it was their attorney, Gloria Schmidt, who said that to the Chicago Tribune in early April ... word-for-word. That alone, Geragos argues is enough grounds for dismissal -- but there's more.

Geragos and co. say that the brothers also paraphrased something they claimed Geragos said on a podcast he does with comic Adam Carolla, alleging the celeb attorney dragged their reps through the mud by indicating they'd attacked Jussie, committed perjury and conspired to make false statements to clear their names.

Geragos submitted transcripts of his podcast during the time of the criminal legal proceedings, and he notes ... he never said the brothers' names, nor did he say or indicate what they attributed to him. Another example Geragos cites for nixing this thing.

Long story short ... Jussie's attorneys say the brothers can't get their quotes straight, and by falsely attributing statements to Geragos and co. ... the suit should be axed, and the Brothers should also be punished with sanctions for allegedly lying to the court.

Jussie Smollett is pushing back against the appointment of a special prosecutor for his criminal case in Chicago ... and he's doing everything he can to stop it.

The actor's legal team filed three motions Friday, obtained by TMZ, seeking to overturn the appointment of a special prosecutor ... arguing it would expose Jussie to double jeopardy.

According to the docs, Jussie is trying to reverse the order issued last month by a Chicago judge, who faulted Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx and laid the groundwork for Jussie possibly facing prosecution for allegedly faking the now infamous "attack."

Jussie's attorney, Tina Glandian, takes issue with the judge's apparent conclusion Jussie is guilty of staging a hate crime. In the docs, Jussie's legal team claims the Osundairo brothers attacked Jussie, got caught and then blamed him.

According to the docs, Jussie's attorney is floating the idea Abel and Ola Osundairo were motivated by homophobia, and she cites text messages from Ola degrading another man as a "fruit." His legal team is seeking grand jury testimony from the two brothers.

It's another twist in the ongoing Smollett saga ... as you know, the charges against Jussie were essentially dropped, even after the grand jury indicted him on 16 felony counts of lying to cops.

We broke the story ... Jussie claimed he was attacked by 2 masked men who beat him and put a rope around his neck while screaming homophobic and racial slurs. Police called BS.

Jussie Smollett and the Osundairo brothers had multiple close encounters -- all caught on camera -- BEFORE the alleged attack went down, but the outcome of those encounters is puzzling.

The video -- first found by Matt Finn of Fox News -- shows the icy street near Jussie's apartment building sometime in the hour prior to the 2 AM attack on January 29. First, the brothers are seen walking side-by-side down the street. At one point they pass under a street light and you can see one of them wearing a red hat. 

A short while later, Jussie is seen walking in the opposite direction, North, on the same block heading in the direction of the Subway restaurant. For some reason, he's walking down the middle of the street, and not on the sidewalk.

There is no one else seen on the street at all.    

There's also a video captured in a loading dock that shows the brothers walking past, and then 25 seconds later ... Jussie walks past the same loading dock, but again he's heading in the opposite direction. With no one else on the street ... it's virtually impossible the 3 men didn't see each other.

What's strange is ... if Abel and Ola Osundairo intended to legitimately attack Jussie, they had at least 2 opportunities prior to 2 AM. Why would they wait and wander the streets on a night when the temperature was around hovering at or just above zero??

The Osundairo's attorney told Fox News the brothers had arrived early, and the video shows them milling around killing time before the hoax attack was allegedly planned to happen. 

BTW, the red hat one of the brothers was wearing is significant because they were seen on surveillance video one day earlier, buying items for the alleged attack ... and those items included a red colored hat. 

Jussie Smollett's camp is very upset over what they believe are untrue stories about what actually went down in January, when he says he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

Sources directly tied to Smollett say the media has mischaracterized a text he sent to Abel Osundairo 4 days before the incident, where he said, "Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?"

Our sources say Smollett insists the texts had nothing to do with a fake attack. Instead, he says the text was referencing a herbal steroid that reduces belly fat that was illegal in the U.S. According to his camp, Smollett said he wanted Abel to buy the pills when he went to Nigeria. And they note, shortly after receiving the text, Abel googled "banned supplements" and "steroids" on his phone.

Our sources go on to say ... Jussie's camp is also upset about a phone call the actor made to Abel after the incident. They say the media made it look like Jussie and Abel were in an ongoing conspiracy to make the "attack" seem real. The sources say the call was to give Abel a heads up  detectives would be calling him to corroborate Jussie's timeline ... which includes a call Jussie made to Abel earlier in the evening to set up a training session the next day.

And, we're told Jussie's camp is especially upset at the Police Superintendent who claimed his wounds were self-inflicted, claiming Jussie didn't mention anything to the doorman as he entered his apartment building after the incident. Jussie's camp says the record is clear ... the doorman mentioned the cuts on his face, and Jussie responded, "I was just jumped."

The sources say ... Jussie's camp believes Abel's own words after the incident prove the attack was real. Abel texted him hours after the alleged attack, after it became public, "Bruh say it ain't true. I'm praying for speedy recovery. S**t is wild. [prayer emoji]."

Also, the sources say Jussie's camp is upset the media jumped on his initial statement that his attackers were white. They point to a security guard at the nearby Sheraton hotel who saw the 2 alleged assailants running from the scene wearing ski masks. The guard flashed a light at one of them, saw his eyes and nose bridge and told cops the person was white. 

Jussie Smollett still had a noose around his neck more than 40 minutes after his alleged attack -- it's something we already reported, but now, for the first time, we see the video.

Chicago police just released a boatload of evidence, including body cam video of officers responding to the 911 call back in January.

Cops ask Jussie if he wants to take the noose off ... he says he would take it off, but he wanted them to see it before he did.

The actor told the officers he did not want to be recorded and they double checked with him to see if it was okay for them to turn off their body cams.

When cops arrived, Jussie was concerned about his neighbors hearing the fuss and he quickly invited them into his apartment.

He also mentioned his alleged attackers poured bleach on him.

One of the videos [above] is short, but shows the Osundairo brothers running on the street at 2:04 AM after the alleged attack.

Another video shows the Osundairo brothers in a taxi before arriving at the scene of the alleged attack. They're wearing hoodies and one of them is clearly wearing a ski mask as they get out of the car a few blocks from Jussie's apartment at 1:22 AM. The "attack" happened around 2 AM.

It's interesting ... when they get out of the taxi, you can see them through the front windshield, and they don't appear to be holding anything -- no noose, no bags -- that might be used for the alleged attack on Jussie.