Jussie Smollett, former "Empire" star, takes the stand at trial over allegedly staged attack

Jussie Smollett, the former "Empire" actor, took the stand on Monday in his disorderly conduct trial, telling jurors his side of the alleged 2019 attack that he's been accused of faking for attention. Smollett and his team have insisted that the attack, in which he was allegedly beaten by two men and had a noose put around his neck, was real. 

Smollett has said that he was attacked while walking home late at night on January 29, 2019, in Chicago. The actor, who is Black and gay,  said two men yelled "racist and homophobic slurs," dumped an "unknown chemical substance" on him and put a noose around his neck. 

But in the months that followed, police and prosecutors accused Smollett of paying two brothers, Abel and Ola Osundairo, $3,500 to help him stage the attack. Abel testified last week that Smollett wanted him to "fake beat him up," and said he went along with the plan because Smollett had been helping him with his acting career, according to CBS Chicago. Ola also claimed that Smollett asked them to stage a fake attack.