Jussie Smollett: All charges alleging Empire actor lied to police about hate attack dropped
Attorneys say Smollett’s record ‘has been wiped clean’
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Your support makes all the difference.All charges against an American actor accused of staging a hate attack against himself have been dropped unexpectedly.
Jussie Smollett, a star in US TV drama Empire, had been suspected of lying to police about being the victim of a racist, homophobic attack.
Smollett’s legal team said his record has now “been wiped clean”.
The actor had been indicted on 16 felony counts of making a false report after telling authorities he was assaulted.
He told police in his initial report in January that two masked men shouted racial and anti-gay slurs, poured bleach on him, beat him and looped a rope around his neck.
Smollett also claimed they shouted, “This is Maga country” – a reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.
The prosecutor’s office offered no detailed explanation as to why the charges were dropped.
Its statement said: “After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the city of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case. We stand by the Chicago Police Department’s investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case.”
Smollett had made a $10,000 (£7,500) bond payment to the city to get out of jail after his arrest.
Police and prosecutors had alleged that Smollett orchestrated his own attack because he was unhappy with his pay on Empire and was seeking to promote his career.
They had also alleged that Smollett hired two men to attack him and that he paid them $3,500.
Authorities had also claimed that before the attack, Smollett sent a letter threatening him to the Chicago studio where Empire is shot. The FBI, which is investigating that letter, has declined to comment on the investigation.
Smollett has insisted that he is innocent and his legal team have previously referred to the charges against him as “prosecutorial overkill”.
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The actor and his attorneys spoke to the press following an emergency hearing on Tuesday. This was his first public address since a February interview on Good Morning America, in which he expressed his anger towards those who doubted his account.
He said the last few weeks had been “incredibly difficult” and some of the worst in his life, and thanked his family, his friends, and all those who have supported him.
The actor said he has been “truthful and consistent since day one”, adding that he is looking forward to going back to work and moving on.
His legal team said they believed that dropping the charges is the “correct result”, and clarified that there was no deal nor deferred prosecution.
Additional reporting by agencies