“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has just been convicted of organizing his own racist and homophobic assault in January 2019.
Former Empire actor Jussie Smollett has just been convicted by the Chicago court of staging his own assault. The sentence has not yet been pronounced, but the actor faces up to three years in prison.
Small flashback: a little over two years ago, the actor, known for his role as Jamal Lyon in the musical soap, was at the heart of a controversy. In January 2019, Jussie Smollett had indeed claimed to have been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two pro-Trump men, met on the set of the series, in the streets of Chicago.
But barely a month later, the police discovered, following their investigation, that the actor had orchestrated his attack and paid no less than 3,500 dollars to his “attackers”. He was then charged with false declaration, released on bail and sued by the city of Chicago for the costs incurred by the investigation. This affair, which he had orchestrated because he was “unhappy with his salary“Had led his empire to return at the end of Season 5.
According to American media, Jussie Smollett’s lawyer said the comedian intended to appeal the decision. “The verdict is incoherent”, He explained. “We are 100% confident that we will win this appeal case.“, he added during a press conference after the announcement of the verdict.
On Monday, during his trial, Jussie Smollett continued to claim that the assault was “not a hoax” and that the sum paid to the two men was to be used to pay for a training and nutrition program developed by the one of the attackers.
