Smollett told detectives he was set upon by two men near the entrance of Loews Hotel in Chicago, where his attackers allegedly poured an abrasive chemical substance on the actor's face and wrapped a rope round his neck whilst shouting racial and homophobic slurs.
Police did indeed arrest two brothers who they initially linked to the alleged attack. But police then revealed the brothers then said Smollett had paid them US$3,500 to stage the attack.
The former child star appeared on Good Morning America for his first interview since the incident, becoming emotional and visibly distressed when recounting his ordeal.
"I want them to find the people that did it..I want them to stop being able to say 'alleged attack'," he told the programme of his wish to recover surveillance footage from the night in question.
"I want them to see that I fought back. And I want a little gay boy who might watch this to see that I fought back. It does not take anything away from people who are not able to do that, but I fought back. They ran off, I didn't."