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Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test has revealed a lineup of 18 celebrity participants for its fourth season set in Marrakesh. The quasi-military training reality show is scheduled to premiere on September 25 on Fox and Hulu.
Many fans were shocked by the inclusion of Jussie Smollett, labeled as a ‘hate crime hoaxer’. On Wednesday, Smollett humorously commented to his 4.5 million Instagram followers: ‘It was at this moment I said… “I should’ve just done The Masked Singer.”‘
The 43-year-old former actor claimed in 2019 that he was attacked by two Trump supporters, but it was later uncovered that his alleged attackers were actually his former trainers, the Osundairo Brothers. They reported that Smollett hired them to stage an attack involving bleach and a noose to boost his fame.
Despite his conviction on five counts of felony disorderly conduct, Jussie only spent six days of a 150-day sentence before the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction on November 21, citing a favorable plea deal with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox.
Although Smollett did not repay Chicago the $120,106 in restitution, he did pay his $10K bond and completed 15 hours of community service. Additionally, he donated $50K to the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts and $10K to the Chicago Torture Justice Center.
‘Yikes. Someone giving Jussie Smollett a platform after all the stuff he pulled is a little scary,’ tweeted X user @linusvpelt, expressing surprise at the casting. ‘I thought he was in jail.’
Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test unveiled its list of 18 celebrity contestants competing in the Marrakesh-set fourth season of the quasi-military training reality show, which premieres September 25 on Fox/Hulu
X user @venusxedus agreed: ‘Why is Jussie Smollett not in jail?’
‘I see that Jussie [Smollett] is still trying to reinvent himself like we have forgotten he staged a fake hate crime to become famous,’ X user @toughtalkty tweeted. ‘This is bleak.’
X user @torturedPRdept used comedian Dave Chappelle’s French pronunciation of the Empire alum’s name, writing: ‘The return of Juicy Smoliet! Is he gonna convince us he’s a tough guy?’
‘Jussie!’ X user @AngelinaReagan7 exclaimed. ‘He’s going to pretend to get beat up by MAGA.’
X user @nicoisking shared a gif of reality TV icon Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard looking shocked with the caption: ‘Jussie [Smollett]?!’
‘Jussie [Smollett] is such a gross and unnecessary casting choice,’ X user @LotsofBravo tweeted.
And X user @stassisbackhand chimed in: ‘Rent is due in ways that has never been due before.’
Jussie clearly bonded on the set with his fellow contestants, Eva Marcille and Chanel Iman, who both offered him support in the comments of his announcement.
Eva, who won America’s Next Top Model in 2004, commented with three sunflower emojis.
‘Yesss Jussie! Let’s go!’ Chanel, a former VS Angel, gushed.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Teresa Giudice – whose own brush with the law involved an 11-month prison sentence for fraud – was selected to compete alongside the eldest of her four daughters, Gia Giudice.
Fans were mostly aghast at the inclusion of ‘hate crime hoaxer’ Jussie Smollett, who wisecracked to his 4.5M Instagram followers on Wednesday: ‘It was at this moment I said… “I should’ve just done The Masked Singer”‘ (pictured September 25)
The disgraced 43-year-old swore he was attacked in 2019 by two Trump supporters, who turned out to be his former personal trainers the Osundairo Brothers, and they claimed he hired them to pour bleach on him and put a noose around his neck in order to boost his celebrity profile
Jussie only served six days of his 150-day sentence for five counts of felony disorderly conduct before the Illinois Supreme Court reversed his conviction on November 21 citing his sweetheart plea deal with Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Fox (pictured in 2022)
Instead of paying the city of Chicago back its $120,106 in restitution, Smollett paid his $10K bond and completed 15 hours of community service before donating $50K to the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts and $10K to the Chicago Torture Justice Center (2019 mugshot)
‘Yikes. Someone giving Jussie Smollett a platform after all the s*** he pulled is a little scary,’ X user @linusvpelt tweeted in reaction to the casting. ‘I thought he was in jail’
X user @venusxedus agreed: ‘Why is Jussie Smollett not in jail?’
!['I see that Jussie [Smollett] is still trying to reinvent himself like we have forgotten he staged a fake hate crime to become famous,' X user @toughtalkty tweeted. 'This is bleak'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/08/07/01/100990357-14977867-_I_see_that_Jussie_Smollett_is_still_trying_to_reinvent_himself_-a-9_1754526043422.jpg)
‘I see that Jussie [Smollett] is still trying to reinvent himself like we have forgotten he staged a fake hate crime to become famous,’ X user @toughtalkty tweeted. ‘This is bleak’
X user @torturedPRdept used comedian Dave Chappelle’s French pronunciation of the Empire alum’s name, writing: ‘The return of Juicy Smoliet! Is he gonna convince us he’s a tough guy?’
‘Jussie!’ X user @AngelinaReagan7 exclaimed. ‘He’s going to pretend to get beat up by MAGA’
![X user @nicoisking shared a gif of reality TV icon Tiffany 'New York' Pollard looking shocked with the caption: 'Jussie [Smollett]?!'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/08/07/01/100990363-14977867-X_user_nicoisking_shared_a_gif_of_reality_TV_icon_Tiffany_New_Yo-a-17_1754526044590.jpg){kind=icon}
X user @nicoisking shared a gif of reality TV icon Tiffany ‘New York’ Pollard looking shocked with the caption: ‘Jussie [Smollett]?!’
!['Jussie [Smollett] is such a gross and unnecessary casting choice,' X user @LotsofBravo tweeted](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/08/07/01/100990359-14977867-_Jussie_Smollett_is_such_a_gross_and_unnecessary_casting_choice_-a-10_1754526043624.jpg)
‘Jussie [Smollett] is such a gross and unnecessary casting choice,’ X user @LotsofBravo tweeted
And X user @stassisbackhand chimed in: ‘Rent is due in ways that has never been due before’
Jussie clearly bonded on the set with his fellow contestants, Eva Marcille (L) and Chanel Iman (R), who both offered him support in the comments of his announcement
Eva, who won America’s Next Top Model in 2004, commented with three sunflower emojis
‘Yesss Jussie! Let’s go!’ Chanel, a former VS Angel, gushed
The Real Housewives of New Jersey cast member Teresa Giudice – whose own brush with the law involved an 11-month prison sentence for fraud – was selected to compete alongside the eldest of her four daughters, Gia Giudice (pictured July 8)
‘So happy I got to experience this with her!’ the 24-year-old nepo baby Instastoried on Wednesday. ‘Definitely something you don’t get to say that you have done with your mom’
Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia is best known for her October 22nd split from Grammy winner Zach Bryan, and she admitted she ‘cried every day’ of the grueling shoot
‘Y’all thought I was in Love Island,’ the 26-year-old podcaster wrote via Instastory on Wednesday. ‘While I was getting water boarded!’
Sister Wives star Kody Brown – whose down to only one of his four spouses – called Special Forces ‘the most exciting experience of an age’ and teased: ‘Tune in and watch me and my peers suffer! Wanna see me cry? No…like full on sobbing!’ (pictured in 2015)
Other contestants for season four include Kristin Cavallari’s ex-toyboy Mark Estes (pictured December 16), Brittany Cartwright, Randall Cobb, Eric Decker, Jessie James Decker, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East, Johnny Manziel, Ravi V. Patel, Christie Pearce Rampone, and Nick Young
‘So happy I got to experience this with her!’ the 24-year-old nepo baby Instastoried on Wednesday.
‘Definitely something you don’t get to say that you have done with your mom.’
Brianna ‘Chickenfry’ LaPaglia is best known for her October 22nd split from Grammy winner Zach Bryan, and she admitted she ‘cried every day’ of the grueling shoot.
‘Y’all thought I was in Love Island,’ the 26-year-old podcaster wrote via Instastory on Wednesday. ‘While I was getting water boarded!’
Sister Wives star Kody Brown – whose down to only one of his four spouses – called Special Forces ‘the most exciting experience of an age’ and teased: ‘Tune in and watch me and my peers suffer! Wanna see me cry? No…like full on sobbing!’
Other contestants for season four include Kristin Cavallari’s ex-toyboy Mark Estes, Brittany Cartwright, Randall Cobb, Eric Decker, Jessie James Decker, Andrew East, Shawn Johnson East, Johnny Manziel, Ravi V. Patel, Christie Pearce Rampone, and Nick Young.
