Days ago actor Jussie Smollett, 39, was sentenced to 150 days in the Cook County Jail with 30-day felony probation. He was also ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution and $25,000 in fines.
Upon receiving the sentence, Smollett said, “Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.” As his team of attorneys fumbled to find a way out of the ruling, Smollett declared multiple other times that he was “not suicidal”.
Watch: Jussie Smollett stands up and yells at the courtroom after being sentenced by Cook County Judge James Linn over his 2019 hate crime hoax: pic.twitter.com/fFei0JrFjN
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 11, 2022
Smollett’s sentencing comes more than three years after the actor reported to Chicago police that he was attacked by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs and poured a chemical on him, and tied a rope around his neck. The allegations and the layered story, began unraveling and gained momentum quickly in the press. The city sought to recover costs associated with the lengthy investigation and officials struggled with the decision to prosecute the actor for false claims.
Although Smollett claimed he was “not suicidal”, the actor has reportedly been placed in a psych ward, according to his brother.
Jocqui Smollet said on social media:
Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail. What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put on the front of his jail cell saying that he’s at risk of self-harm. I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. And he wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy, and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him. This is not right. This is a complete lack of justice. It’s angering. It’s an outrage.
Over the weekend, a dozen supporters rallied outside Cook County Jail demanding Smollett be released. Many on social media are activating the hashtag #freejussie in support of the actor’s release.
Source: Fox 32
I just don’t understand why he would fake a homophobic attack as a successful gay black man. He had a starring role in a huge tv show at the time. Sad.