• Jussie Smollett is seeking treatment through a rehab facility’s outpatient program.
• It is unclear what he is being treated for.
• Smollett is in the midst of an appeals process after being found guilty in 2021 of making false police reports for an alleged hate crime.
Here is what happened:
Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor who was found guilty of making false police reports for an alleged hate crime in 2019, is now seeking professional help. According to his representative, Smollett is receiving treatment through an outpatient program at a rehab facility. His rep stated that Smollett has been working hard and taking necessary steps to address his challenges after enduring an extremely difficult past few years. The specific details of his treatment have not been disclosed.
In December 2021, Smollett was found guilty on five of six counts of disorderly conduct for making false police reports. He has been in the midst of an appeals process since then, with his lawyer expressing confidence that the case will be won on appeal. Smollett’s lawyer argued that the verdict was inconsistent, as it claimed both that Smollett was lying and that he was not lying about the same incident.
In March 2022, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, along with 30 months of felony probation and monetary fines. However, he was released from jail after just six days upon posting bail, as the ruling on his appeal was still pending. The appellate court granted him a pause in his sentence to allow for completion of the appeals process.
The controversy surrounding Smollett’s case began in January 2019 when he claimed to investigators that he was attacked by two masked men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him. However, the Chicago Police later alleged that Smollett had paid two brothers to stage the attack as a hoax. Despite the legal proceedings, Smollett has made public appearances and continued his work in the entertainment industry, recently wrapping up his second feature film as a producer and director.
