‘Special Forces’ Star Jussie Smollett Is “Happy To Be Doing Cool Stuff” Six Years After Hate Crime Controversy: “Life Goes On”

Jussie Smollett‘s time on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test came to end in Season 4, Episode 3 after he was medically withdrawn over a lung infection.

Smollett—who was clearly in it to win it—said his exit was “disappointing,” and while he was initially “horrified” by the outcome, he quickly got over it once he was put up in a luxurious bed and breakfast that served him one of the “greatest meals of [his] life” after days of roughing it in the Moroccan desert.

“At that moment, I said, ‘Come on, lung infection!'” Smollett joked in a Zoom interview with Decider.

Throughout his time on the FOX series, the actor openly talked about his 2019 controversy. Six years ago, Smollett reported to the Chicago Police Department that he had been the victim of a hate crime after two masked men jumped him, wrapped a rope around his neck, and made a reference to MAGA (President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan). However, prosecutors accused Smollett of paying his assailants to stage an attack. Despite maintaining his innocence, Smollett was charged with multiple counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying to police.

The case went to trial in 2021, where Smollett was found guilty and sentenced to 150 days in jail. He served six days behind bars, and in November 2024, the guilty verdict was overturned.

On Special Forces, Smollett continued to profess his innocence in regard to the scandal, but even he is aware that the public will always have an opinion on him.

“I think that everybody, whether they believe the truth or whether they believe the other stuff, has their own opinion,” he said. “If you know anything about it, chances are you have an opinion or an idea of what you believe. I think that at this point, I’m okay with that because I have to be. I have to be because life goes on.”

At this point in his life, Smollett is “happy to be doing cool stuff” like Special Forces. “I was afraid that maybe I would have more regrets about putting myself out there in this way. But I don’t,” he said, noting that it’s “okay to be vulnerable and it’s okay to show that you have a heart.”

When Decider caught up with Smollett, he also spoke about Eva Marcille nearly drowning during a challenge on Special Forces, and whether he’d ever want to do the show again with his sister Jurnee Smollett-Bell. Check out the full interview below.

DECIDER: Before we get into everything, the medic said you had developed an allergy to the dust in Morocco which was why you had to leave the course. How are you doing? Are you all healed?

JUSSIE SMOLLETT: Yeah, I think I’m all healed. I don’t know if it was an analogy to the dust. I just know that I was coughing and sneezing up actual dirt [and] dust. It was like actually coming out and it was at a point that I just could not breathe. I was so disappointed, though. I was so disappointed. I was only grateful that it was not a VW because the way that I was getting through each day of this horrendous thing is because I was telling myself every day that I was going to quit tomorrow. I knew that by the time that tomorrow finally came, as long as I didn’t quit the day that I was saying that I was going to quit, as long as I didn’t say, “I’m quitting today,” I was good, because tomorrow will always come tomorrow. Until it don’t. I started off strong, then I embarrassed myself and lost for my teammates with the airplane thing, because I couldn’t open my eyes on the water. I really felt like I was starting to understand what the task and what this whole course was about to be. But yeah, it was disappointing. 

Photo: FoxFlash

We could see that there was still fight left in you. Even the DS said they didn’t think you were done with the course after they met with you.

That makes me happy, but that also makes me a little sad. There was a point when I got back to my hotel that I was just like, “Can’t I just go back?” I felt better because I then was on the steroid. I had to be on the steroid for five days, and then this other pill, I forget what it was, for seven days. But as soon as I took it, within the hour, I felt 10 times better. Sure, I couldn’t do a deep, deep, deep breath, but I still felt fine and I felt good enough and I was like, “Just let me go back.” It was just all those things, but they were like, “Nah, bro. Here’s your food, this amazing meal at this amazing, just the most wonderful…” 

Yeah, so here’s the thing. I was terrified, horrified that I had to leave. But once I left, I went back to my hotel and it was this wonderful bed and breakfast. This wonderful woman owned this place. This house was built in this beautiful way. When I tell you, I have to go back there having eaten so much since then, but it was one of the greatest meals of my life. I think it’s because we were eating what we were eating for those days, but it was the most delicious [mean]. And at that moment I said, “Come on, lung infection!” It is what it is. It was horrible to leave, but it was a really, really great experience. It was. 

I have to say, you were very open about everything you went through. Did you find that to be a difficult thing to do? And what was the overall vibe you got from the DS when you spoke to them about the whole controversy in your mirror room scene?

It was interesting because the DS didn’t really let on that they knew. The one thing that I don’t think that people realize about the show is that we do our confessional interviews, like, three days before we actually go and start the actual course. We’re still able to text, we’re still able to do all that. When I did the interview, I went back to my hotel in Marrakesh. That was a resort. So it was much different than the life that we were living. 

I feel like I opened up more to the producer who was asking me the questions in the pre-conversation. I feel like I was much more guarded for the DS because they didn’t really let on how much they knew. With them, I was like, “Well, if you’re not going to tell me, then I’m not going to tell you. If you’re gonna beat around the bush, buddy, I’m going to beat around the bush, too.” But there was a way that somehow they spoke to you without speaking to you. There really was. There was a way that they spoke to you without speaking to you. It’s interesting to have conversations with them now outside of it. It’s a nice relationship. 

Honestly, I went into this with the understanding of what this was going to be [and] what this could be. I probably had more preconceived notions than I should have. I’ve said that straight up, that I had preconceived notions about people having preconceived notions about me. In many of those instances, I was wrong and gladly so. [I was] happily wrong to see that the world is actually, contrary to what society or certain levels of media wants us to believe, that most people are decent people, and we’re actually more alike than we’re not. I think that’s the coolest thing about this crazy psychotic wreckage of a show is that it does remind me in a really rough way of what the real world was back in the day. You’re bringing people together that society would have you believe have nothing in common, but they’re actually bonding, not over their differences, but their similarities and what they have to do. That and the respect that I have for, my goodness, all troops all over the world is just unbelievable. Just because they are people that actually have to do this and don’t get to get a lung infection and go home to a beautiful bed and breakfast. That’s the stuff to keep in mind when you’re boohooing because you got to go home. 

I know there have been a lot of people out there supporting you, but what’s your response to those who were critical of your appearance on Special Forces?

Oh, I don’t know. At this point, I think that everybody is just entitled to their own opinion. I think that we gotta allow people to feel the way that they feel. You can talk about something, which I feel like at this point, we all have kind of talked about it all until we are blue in the face. I think that everybody, whether they believe the truth or whether they believe the other stuff, has their own opinion. If you know anything about it, chances are you have an opinion or an idea of what you believe. I think that at this point, I’m okay with that because I have to be. I have to be because life goes on. I’m just happy to be doing cool stuff. This was cool and I feel good. I look back on it and to be honest with you, I was afraid that maybe I would have more regrets about putting myself out there in this way. But I don’t. I think that it’s okay. I think it’s okay to be vulnerable and it’s okay to show that you have a heart. I do sometimes wear my heart on my sleeve. There are benefits and there are drawbacks to that. But I think that my intentions are good and are in a good place.

Aside from that, I really liked it. I had a good time. I really had a good time. And I’m not sure how they edited it, but the clips that I’ve seen, I’ve seen such funny clips that are so hilarious. My girl Teresa? That is my homie. And Eva. They are just so funny. We had such a great time so I hope that people are getting that. I know that there is drama surrounding each one of us and our storyline, and it’s interesting and it’s entertaining, but at the heart of it is a bunch of crazy, bold people that are willing to put themselves out there. I think that that’s kind of cool. 

Photo: Getty Images

You were with Eva when she nearly drowned during the water submersion test. What was that moment like for you? 

It’s interesting. At that moment when I first saw her, she jumped up and she was so excited. All I was thinking about is the fact that I came out of the wrong side. She’s like, “I did it!” I was so happy for her. It didn’t click. And then she starts falling down and they start yelling and I start going towards her. And then they are like, “No!” They went down to get her and pull her up. I had to get on the boat, and I was sitting there with her. But I don’t think any of us realized how bad it was or how bad it could have been, because she bounced back so quickly. I don’t think myself or Eva realized how bad it was until we did press for the show. I think it was Rudy [Reyes] who told Eva just how bad it was. She had actually passed out. I didn’t realize that she had truly passed out. You couldn’t tell in the moment, but she’s here to live to tell the story. And I’m just grateful to God that she was. But that’s my girl. That’s my girl. 

When I spoke to her, she had nothing but kind things to say about you as well.

She truly was my sister through this. She had my back before and she had my back during. And she had my back even after. She’s a kind, kind soul. I just saw her. We went to the Legacy concert together here in London. 

This season was filled with familial duos. If ever given the opportunity again, what are the odds of a season featuring you and your sister Jurnee? How do you think she would do?

First of all, Jurnee would win. Jurnee would be beating up everybody in the boxing thing. My sister is a superhero. This is what people tend to forget. My sister is a superhero, not just in Birds of Prey, but she’s a superhero in all of the roles that she does. She’s always running, kicking, jumping, chasing, escaping, whatever it may be. So Jurnee might be a little Shawn Johnson on your hand. I don’t think she would even surprise me, but I think she would just kill it. But my sister is not going to do it. And you can bank on it, my friend, I shall never do it either — ever again!

Photo: FoxFlash

You did it once, you don’t need to do it again.

I’m good. I’m good. But thank you. Thank you for the offer. Thank you for the opportunity. Truly appreciate it. I had a good time. Goodbye. That’s it. You will not see me on Special Forces: All Stars or anything like that. Hell to the no.

There are so many competition shows out there from Traitors to Dancing with the Stars. Are there any that you’d like to go on next?

Oh, Lord. I’m going Baddies. Baddies on Zeus. That’s where I’m gonna go … Whatever city they go to next. I don’t want to be a part of the crew. I just want to be a guest and chill and go see that. I’ll do that. But other than that, Special Forces, I love y’all. That’s a wrap on moi. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test airs Thursday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on FOX. New episodes are available to stream the next day on Hulu.