Jussie Smollet’s case came to be known as ‘The Hate Crime Hoax’.
Remember Jussie Smollet and his complicated assault case? Well now he’s been sentenced to serve prison time and pay some hefty fines.
39 year old Jussie Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the TV drama series Empire, a role that was hailed as groundbreaking for its positive depiction of a black gay man on television. On January 29th 2019, Smollett told police that he was attacked outside his apartment building by two men in ski masks. He reported they talked to him using racial and homophobic slurs and used their hands, feet, and teeth as weapons in the assault. According to a statement released by the Chicago Police Department, the two suspects then “poured an unknown liquid” on Smollett and put a noose around his neck. Upon opening an investigation in February of that year, police charged Smollett with filing a false police report, alleging he had staged the assault.
Smollett’s acting career stalled after the incident. He lost his role as a singer-songwriter in the final season of Empire, and nobody would hire him. It turned out that Jussie had orchestrated the attack himself. Now the actor has been sentenced to 150 days in prison and ordered to pay $120,000 (KSH 13,704,000) in restitution to the city of Chicago and fined $25,000 (KSH 2,855,000) in fines.
Maintaining his innocence throughout the court proceedings, Jussie said “If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community. I did not do this.”
