Actor Jussie Smollett will get 5 months in prison for lying about a hate crime in 2019. Though Smollett still claims he is innocent, his sentencing was met with public silence from the fallen star’s acting colleagues and even his own sister.
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Jussie Smollett was found guilty in December for falsifying a hate crime in 2019. Smollet claimed he was attacked by MAGA supporters in a racist and homophobic attack.
The actor, best known for his role as “Jamaal” in the hit TV series, EMPIRE, received a sentence of 5 months in jail with an additional 2 years of probation yesterday. The sentencing didn’t stop there as Jussie also was fined a heavy $25,000 on top of his 120,000 of resolution.
Smollet defiantly raised his fist as he was led out of the courtroom, chanting, “I AM NOT SUICIDAL, AND I AM INNOCENT — I COULD’VE SAID I WAS GUILTY A LONG TIME AGO.”
Throughout the ordeal, Smollet has maintained his innocence saying he faced racist and homophobic attacks as two white men yelled MAGA, (an abbreviation of former President Donald Trump’s campaign, “Make America Great Again.”)
Smollett’s 150 day sentencing has been met with a glaring public silence in the last 24 hours from Smollett’s fellow actors in Hollywood including Empire creator/director Lee Daniels, castmates Terrence Howard and Taraji P Henson, but also silence from his sister, actor Journee Smollett. None of Smollet’s fellow castmates offered words of encouragement or support. Instead their social media feeds made no mention of the sentencing announcements or Smollet’s cries of innocence.
When Smollet first alleged the attack there were many celebrities who were in support of his claims. He received a great amount of support from his Empire show team such as Lee Daniels, Grace Byers, and Naomi Campbell as well as the black community at large.
