Jussie Smollett walked out of a Chicago jail after serving six days and walked into months, if not years, of uncertainty — from what’s next for his career as an actor and performer to whether he’ll eventually be back behind bars.
The former star of the TV show “Empire” was sentenced last week to 150 days in jail plus probation and a fine after a jury found him guilty of lying to police about being the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack in downtown Chicago in 2019. His release late Wednesday came hours after an appellate court ordered he could go free during the appeal process, which wouldn’t be completed before Smollett had served his full sentence.
But that will be difficult to do, publicists say, and the latest developments may not have done him any favors. During his trial, Smollett testified that “I’ve lost my livelihood” because of the charges against him, including losing his role on “Empire.” He has since worked behind the scenes, writing, directing and producing a film, “B-Boy Blues,” that recently won the “fan favorite narrative feature” award in the American Black Film Festival.
The claims quickly garnered national attention, with Trump weighing in, and Chicago police said they worked around the clock investigating before determining that the attack was a hoax, staged by Smollett to get publicity. At trial, prosecutors presented a check they said Smollett had written to two brothers who worked on the “Empire” set with him as payment to fake the assault.
The appeal process will almost certainly take months, if not years, with multiple deadlines, extensions of deadlines, new deadlines and more extensions. Komie explained that once that’s done, Smollett’s attorneys have 35 days to file their brief, but they can get that deadline extended up to four times. Then when it is the prosecutors’ turn to respond, the court will give them as many as four 35-day extensions too.
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Jussie Smollett is out of jail, but faces uncertain futureJussie Smollett walked out of a Chicago jail after serving six days and walked into months, if not years, of uncertainty — from what’s next for his career to whether he’ll eventually be back behind bars.
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Jussie Smollett is out of jail, but faces uncertain futureJussie Smollett walked out of a Chicago jail after serving six days and walked into months, if not years, of uncertainty — from what’s next for his career to whether he’ll eventually be back behind bars
Read more »
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