Jussie Smollett, the former star of the popular television show Empire, had his conviction overturned for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019. The state’s Supreme Court granted him the ruling after he appealed the decision through his lawyers.
Smollett was initially sentenced to 150 days in jail in 2021 following his conviction on five counts of felony disorderly conduct. He had only spent six days in jail before being released pending the appeal. His lawyers contended that the case never should have been reopened after initial charges were dropped in 2019, when he did community service and forfeited a $10,000 bond.
The controversy began when Smollett, who is black and gay, claimed he had been attacked by two masked men in Chicago who hurled racial and homophobic slurs, poured chemicals on him, and put a noose around his neck. A subsequent investigation revealed that the attack had been staged with two brothers testifying that Smollett had paid them to carry it out.
Smollett’s lawyers succeeded in arguing that it was unfair for a special prosecutor to intervene when the original charges against him were dropped. Though the mixed reactions to the ruling have poured in, it ends one of the most high-profile, polarizing legal cases in recent history.
