trading their nine to five for the booming influencer business. >> i always wanted to do something where i could have freedom and do something creative. >> but is there some hate behind those likes? but first u t, the "nightli five. ve. number o good evening. thank you for joining us. today jussie smollett was back on the set of "empire", but it's his offstage appearance that's in the spotlight. he is accused with what police say is a hate crime hoax. >> defendant smollett further details that he wanted able to attack him but not hurt him too badly. >> the bruises on his face were most likely self-inflicted. we have the check that he used to pay them. >> today chicago authorities laying out what they say is the twisted tale of jussie smollett. >> the stunt was orchestrated by smollett because he was dissatisfied with his salary. >> a [ bleep ] rope around my neck. >> reporter: the accused attacker the caught on tape buying red hats and ski masks. and today, one more twist, entertainer jussie smollett arrested and charged. >> do can you believe your brother's story? >> smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on homophobic and racial language. when that didn't work he paid 3,500 dollars to stage this attack. >> reporter: that reported hate crime was all a hoax. >> how do you not believe that. it's the truth. >> i think the question on everyone's minds is will jussie smollett be prosecuted? will he go to jail? while this is not a violent crime, this is a significant crime. >> if this is true that jussie put together this hoax, then i think what we're looking at is something much, much deeper psychologically, emotionally, that may be going on. >> reporter: in a courtroom today, smollett listened to prosecutors lay out their case. >> jussie smollett appearing at his bond hearing, a serious look on his face throughout, turning to his lawyers, whispering things, sometimes nodding in agreement. his family standing in support of him two rows behind him. >> reporter: smollett out on a $100,000 bond, chopper footage capturing him hiding baeading b the "empire" set studio. it was the morning of january 29th. >> at 2:00 in the morning, jussie smollett reported he was the victim of a hate crime. >> reporter: smollett claimed he was walking home from a subway restaurant when he says two men physically attacked him, hurling racist and homophobic slurs, describing that moment to abc news. >> as i was crossing the intersection, i heard "empire." and i don't answer to empire. and i kept walking and heard empire [ bleep ]. and i turned around and said what did you just say to me, and i turned around and saw the attacker masked. and he said "this maga country", punched me right in the face. so i punched him right back. we started tussling, and then it just stopped and they ran off. i noticed the rope around my neck, and i started screaming. >> reporter: chicago police immediately begin investigating. >> anytime a hate crime is reported in the city of chicago it gets the same attention. >> reporter: but his entire story was about to come under fire. >> from the very beginning we had some questions about it. >> during that time frame we, we interviewed over 100 individuals in a canvass of the area. we located approximately 35 of our chicago police pod cameras. we additionally found over 20 private sector cameras. >> reporter: through those cameras, they identified two persons of interest, brothers, tracking them through cab and ride share records for a week. >> we tracked them going to o'hare airport and jumping on a flight to nigeria. we were able to locate and identify these two individuals when they entered into the country attic country at customs. we took them into custody. >> reporter: the brothers made a compelling often. >> she said something smelled fishy. she did not think they were the offenders, as were reported. it was at that time that this investigation started to spin in a completely new direction. >> reporter: police say they learned smollett's alleged attack was actually days in the making. >> defendant smollett then stated he wanted to stage an attack where able would appear to batter him. defendant smollett suggested that the older brother ola assist with the attack. >> reporter: prosecutors claim they had business dealings in the past. >> able was a source of designer drugs for smollett. >> reporter: allegedly, smollett made arrangements to meet with one of the brothers to discuss the threatening letter he received. >> he indicated his dismedismess of the handling of the homophobic letter he received three days prior. >> it said in big caps, "maga." did i make that up, too? >> reporter: yes, prosecutors said he did make it up. they said cameras captured the trio planning the attack. h wte ol place a rope around his neck, place gasoline on him and yell "this is maga country." it lasted 45 second. there was a change in the plan in that bleach was going to be used instead of gasoline. >> reporter: a key part of the plan, that light pole with a camera. it was pointed in a different direction. >> during the "good morning, america" interview, smollett stated. >> it feels like if i had said it was a muslim or mexican or or someone black, i feel like the doubters would have supported me a lot much more. >> these statements by smollett further misled the police and public to believe his attackers were white. team pushedac enforcement spect has no place in the american legal system. he fiercely and soundly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing. smollett once touted himself as an activist for communities targeted by hate. >> i just want young people, young members of the lbgtq community, young black children to know how strong they are, to know the power that they hold in their little pinky. >> for jussie smollett as an african-american, gay man who purported to be a social activist during black history month, to actually use symbols of a noose, yelling, "this is maga country", it's almost as if he was using the veryy dxploitis advantage. >> bogus police reports cause real harm. my concern is that hate crimes will now publicly be met with a level of skepticism. >> reporter: a fbi report showed a 17% rise in hate crimes reported across the country. >> it is also clear that the instances of false reportings are very low. somewhere between 2% and 8%. what this alleged hoax may do is it may embolden people to commit more of these crimes. >> well, if, in fact, he did make up this story, that it is an elaborate hoax, i don't see a bad person. what i do see is someone who i ain. >> reporter: psychologist, it speaks volumes. >> you do a disservice when you lie about things like this. >> he said when you make something up like this, do you a disservice to others who are victims. yes, that is true, but is that also the unconscious talking and revealing what may have been going on with him in his mind? >> i will never be the man that this did not happen to. i am forever changed. >> reporter: smollett now facing an uphill battle to salvage his reputation. fox, the studio that produces "empire" saying that they're evaluating the situation and are considering their options. as for the city of chicago, they say he only has one option. >> absolute justice would be an apology to this city. that he smeared. >> i just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention. because that's who really deserves the amount of attention that we're giving to this particular incident. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm eva pilgrim in chicago. >> eva will will the latest on gma tomorrow. how a 27-year-old turned her beauty routine into a big money maker. it's absolute confidence in 30,000 precision parts. or it isn't. it's inspected by mercedes-benz factory-trained technicians. or it isn't. it's backed by an unlimited mileage warranty, or it isn't. for those who never settle, it's either mercedes-benz certified pre-owned, or it isn't. the mercedes-benz certified pre-owned sales event. now through february 28th. only at your authorized mercedes-benz dealer. my moderate to severe i ulcerative colitis.ing but i realized something was missing... me. the thought of my symptoms returning was keeping me from being there for the people and in humira can help get, and keep, uc under control when other medications haven't worked well enough. and it helps people achieve control that lasts so you could experience few or no symptoms. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. be there for you, and them. ask your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, control is possible. with the most lobster dishes lobsterfest of yeart red lobster like lobster lover's dream with butter-poached, creamy and roasted lobster. or new crispy, coconutty lobster in paradise. new ultimate lobsterfest surf & turf is here too. it's time to lobsterfest, so hurry in. the cold and flu fightings. machine. you put in your machine. press the button to brew up powerful relief. to defeat your toughest cold and flu symptoms fast. new theraflu powerpods. press. sip. relief. yes! for presidents day you get that so i can save up to 40% on appliances? 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>> biology. but i always loved makeup. in biology, there weren't a lot of people that loved makeup. so i said, you know what? i'm going to post a video online and find people who love things i like. so i have a screen and i flip it and talk. >> reporter: we visited her at her home in los angeles that doubles as her studio. what do you get paid per post, and what is the most you've gotten paid? >> i wouldn't be able to give you an exact number. >> reporter: ballpark? >> i have a college degree, my husband has a college degree. we can make a good living from it. >> reporter: mariela and her husband moved to the u.s. to go to school. >> i'll talk to the camera. >> reporter: the youtube videos were an outlet for to you practice your english? >> yeah, i was like, i have no friends, so i'm going to find some online. >> reporter: did it work out? >> i think it did. i have a few million. rememb >> reporter: what makes your account unique? >> i ask that all the time. why do you follow me? i'm just me being silly. i don't feel there's anything special about me. why? and i mess up. i'm not perfect. but sometimes i feel like that's why people follow me, because i'm me. i'm real. >> reporter: today it seems like everyone is in a battle for the most clicks. because a big social media following can mean big money. >> the very first hurdle is hitting 10,000 followers. but you're a certified, if you will, at 100,000. >> reporter: chamberlain was a typical teen when she took youtube by storm two years ago. >> right now we are driving around the dmv. >> reporter: posting videos like this one. >> for my freakin' test. >> reporter: she's partnering with teen fashion chain hollister. >> i am jasmine brown. >> reporter: she started working for walmart and lady footlocker after being noticed. and sandy ball now works with sephora and mattel. ? th >> they have agents like hollywood. they have managers and publicists. because the best people are making tens of millions of dollars a year. >> reporter: it's not just fashion and beauty influencers cashing in. take the doctor who promotes his healthy and germ-free life on his page. and this top dog social media teaching pages. >> when you follow an influencer, you're not just following for the content but her opinion. these are her ten favorite products. these are also your ten favorite products. >> reporter: there's also a dark side of online influencing. take the large number of fake accounts that some have following them. >> it's a shortcut that plenty of people are tempted to take. so they're tempted to do it, but it's always a bad idea. >> reporter: a recent report reveals companies paid out $744 million to instagram influencers last year alone. but 10 2 million of that money meant to reach legitimate followers was actually spent on fake accounts. >> the whole point of being an influencer is that you have influence. if everyone following you is not a real person you don't have any influence. you just have a bunch of followers. >> reporter: and buyers beware. >> being a fitness influencer is my full time job. >> reporter: critics accuse her of charging hundreds without getting anything for the promise. >> oh, girl, you're doing great. how am i doing great? i'm not losing weight. >> reporter: brittany dawn posting an apology on her youtube channel. >> i make mistakes. i am sorry. >> reporter: but marielle says the key to success is working hard. >> i always wanted to do something where i could have fun and be creative. >> reporter: you're getting paid to be yourself. it's a dream job. >> it truly is. >> reporter: for "nightline" in los angeles. and next, remembering a mop top monkeys musician who made us laugh. laugh. my digestive system used to make me feel sluggish. but those days are over. now i take metamucil every day. it naturally traps and removes the waste that weighs me down. so i feel...lighter. try metamucil and begin to feel what lighter feels like. take the metamucil two week challenge and lighten up. just take metamucil every day for two weeks. are you ready for the challenge? get started at metamucil dot com. 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