presents “The Jussie Smollett Scandal,” an inside look at how this case snowballed into a clash of race, politics and culture. Tune in this Sunday at 7p/6C.
() Six years ago, former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett accused two brothers wearing MAGA baseball caps of jumping him outside of his Chicago apartment, placing a noose around his neck and dousing him with bleach while making racist and homophobic comments.
However, within three weeks of the supposed attack, Smollett was arrested and accused of staging the attack and filing a false police report. The turn of events sparked a dramatic years-long legal battle that resulted in the actor being indicted on 16 felony charges before county prosecutors stunningly announced weeks later that all charges against Smollett had been dropped.
Then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson called the decision a “whitewash of justice.”
In the months that followed, a judge ordered a special prosecutor to re-evaluate the case, which resulted in a six-count indictment and a grand jury agreeing with the special prosecutor that Smollett had indeed made false statements to Chicago police about the alleged attack.
A jury later found Smollett guilty on five of the six felony counts, and he was sentenced to 150 days in jail after jurors determined that the actor had staged the entire episode. In addition to jail time, Smollett was ordered to pay the city of Chicago more than $120,000 in restitution to cover the cost of the investigation and a $25,000 fine.
However, just six days into Smollett’s jail sentence, a judge ruled that he be released from custody while his attorneys appealed the conviction. His attorneys argued at the time that their client was in danger of physical harm if he remained behind bars.
In 2023, an Illinois appellate court upheld the conviction, leading Smollett’s lawyers to take their appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court, which overturned his conviction in late 2024. In the unanimous decision, justices determined that an agreement that Smollett reached with county prosecutors after initial charges were dropped against him should have prevented a special prosecutor from relaunching the investigation.
In May, the city of Chicago announced it had settled a 2019 lawsuit against the actor. Details of the settlement were not released, but Smollett announced he would be making a $50,000 contribution to local charities.
In a statement, the city said it believed the settlement provided a “fair, constructive and conclusive resolution” that brought closure to the six-year drama. Smollett, however, called the city’s claims that he had staged the attack a “false narrative” that “left a stain on my character.”
“These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do,” Smollett said. “Today, it should be clear … they have neither.”
