jussie smollett what did he do

Jussie Smollett is an American actor who in January 2019 claimed to have been the victim of a racially and homophobically motivated hate crime in Chicago. However, police later determined that he had staged the attack with the help of two acquaintances, the Osundairo brothers, whom he allegedly paid to carry out the fake incident. The staged attack included the perpetrators pouring bleach on Smollett and putting a noose around his neck while shouting racial and homophobic slurs. Smollett was initially charged with filing a false police report but reached a plea deal where charges were dropped in exchange for community service and forfeiture of a $10,000 bond. Later, in 2020, a special prosecutor re-indicted him, leading to his conviction on five counts of felony disorderly conduct in December 2021. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail but only served six days before release after an appeal. In 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction based on a previous plea agreement, though substantial evidence indicated Smollett had orchestrated the hoax. The case received widespread media attention and controversy, deeply impacting his career and public image.