Actor Jussie Smollett was released from jail last night. The Illinois Appellate Court ruled he should be released after his legal team lodged appeals last week against his convictions.
Last week, Smollett, who is gay, was sentenced to 150 days behind bars and 30 months probation on five disorderly conduct charges related to reporting a hoax hate crime. With good behavior, he was expected to serve 75 days in prison.
His attorneys argued that he would likely have served his sentence by the time any appeal took place and should therefore be allowed out pending the outcome.
If an appeal fails, Smollett will likely be sent back to jail.
Related: Jussie Smollett sentenced to jail, has courtroom outburst
One of Smollett’s defense attorneys, Nenye Uche, said his client refused food during his six days in Cook County Jail and lived on nothing but iced water. He did not say why.
Talking to reporters last night, Uche voiced his opinion that Judge James Linn had treated Smollett harshly in sentencing him last week.
“There is no room for politics in our court system … Regardless of what you think about this case … the real question is, should Black men be walked into jail for a Class 4 felony? Shame on you if you think they should.”
The appeals court ordered Smollett’s release conditional on him posting “a personal recognizance bond (I Bond) in the amount of $150,000.” In Illinois, this means he does not have to put down money but must attend court hearings as required.
Smollett left jail, surrounded by security, at around 8pm local time last night. He did not take questions from reporters but got in a waiting SUV and was sped away.
Smollett was found guilty in December on five charges of felony disorderly conduct after making false reports about a hoax hate-crime attack in January 2019.
Jurors at his trial heard how Smollett had colluded with two brothers, Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, to stage the attack. The brothers said he paid them $3,500. Smollett claimed the attackers yelled homophobic and racist slurs at him, doused him in a chemical bleach-like solution, and put a noose around his neck.
He has consistently denied faking the incident and maintains he’s the victim of a crime.
Related: Jussie Smollett says there’s a silver lining to his story…somewhere
His attorney, Uche, posted a video to Smollett’s official instagram account yesterday to share the news of his release.
View this post on Instagram
Mister P
Sounds like he has a better case to appeal the first trial than a defense for the crime.
SamB
Looks like the real privilege to getting away with jail time is being rich.
Jim
OMG Now we have to put up with more of his histrionics
Kangol2
Miss Thing keeps the drama going, I’ll give her that!
Caddy4J
Are we ever going to see Justice?? Our judicial system is severely fractured if not broken. Chicago DA should be investigated. Originally he was facing 16 charges, and Foxx said there was not enough to charge him after she received the call from Michelle Obama’s aide. He has to be broke by now by paying his lawyers for three years. Oh how nice to be wealthy and have friends in high places. So wrong…
linedrive
Maybe Smollett shouldn’t have planned this ridiculous scheme and caused the waste of so much time and money. Unfortunately for him the investigators were actually good at their jobs and sorted out the truth. I don’t feel at all sorry for him.
MISTERJETT
JUSSIE IS INNOCENT!!!!!
Beachman
NO HE’S NOT!!!!
The Accidental Polemicist
The streets are unsafe as long as Jussie Smollett’s attacker is on the loose.
Kangol2
I know you’re trying to be sarcastic but that ship sailed a long time ago!
Me2
This is not a victory for him. He can lose the appeal and get thrown back in jail. I agree that his sentence was excessive. But continuing to drag this out, with no new evidence being presented in his favor, will only turn more of the public against him and make it impossible to redeem any bit if his career.
The Accidental Polemicist
Agreed. Hopefully, he is putting off the inevitable.
This action does not improve his public image or sentiment. He may not be suicidal, but he did kill his career.
Beachman
JS continues to show the world what a entitled narcissist he is. That will not change. What will change is there be any chance for him to work in Hollywood again. He had a chance to go to rehab, accept responsibility, and do an apology tour. He’s pulling a Trump, and doubling down, as narcissists do, and just like Trump, will continue to lose and lose and lose and lose.
It’s over Jussie…..go away!
jt1990
I am so tired of certain people using their white privilege to escape justice like this. If Smollett were black, I’m certain he would have served DECADES in prison! And the rest of his family would be killed by racists
The Accidental Polemicist
Best post of the day. 🙂
Cam
@The Accidental Polemicist
OMG, you coming in and praising your own posts under another screename is just sad.
inbama
Smollet is appealing his case just as any American who can afford a lawyer is entitled.
BaltoSteve
Maybe he and OJ should go on a tour of the country looking for the real criminals.
Jack
What a dumb thing to say. Comparing Jussie with someone who murdered two people. Get a grip girl.
bachy
Jusie enjoys painting himself as the “victim.” Yet all the abuses to which he is supposedly subject have been artificially staged, choreographed and self-dramatized.
sam83
I’m also convinced Jussie and one of the brothers lied under oath about the nature of their relationship. What “straight” man that isn’t getting paid $$ goes to a gay sex club (Steamworks) and just kisses. There is far more to the story and someone is LYING behind the fake hate crime
Jack
In an effort to show how Jussie exploited the police and justice system, Chicago is only further exposing how effed up the system is. If you are going to spend all this money to make an example of him, WTF did you let him out of jail in two days?
Kangol2
A state judge’s power overrides that of the city of Chicago. Smollett was convicted by Cook County, i.e., the county including Chicago. The Illinois Appellate Court’s power can override the municipal court. You know, federal > state > municipal, etc. Civics 101….
themanwhoknew
This is a very interesting case. His whole family is there supporting him, friends in high places, other celebrities calling out the excessive sentencing. Even many of them voicing his innocence. You don’t have to believe if he committed the crime or not to see that sentencing did not fit. He didn’t kill nobody, he didn’t do anything to anybody.
There is definitely something else out there we don’t know other than the narrative we hear in the news. Some other motives to see him behind bars. There doesn’t seem to be enough evidence to put him in jail. It just doesn’t make sense his lawyers keep “winning”. Why so much push for him to go to jail?
Kangol2
Most of the anger has to do with the fact that Smollett claimed his attackers were White MAGA supporters. If he’d pulled this stunt without that and gotten found out, I doubt most people would have cared, even though he was the star on a popular TV show. But when he added the element of race and politics, he doomed himself probably forever in the broader public eye. Even still, had he apologized, said he had a breakdown, asked for forgiveness, he probably would have cut himself some slack, but his defiance (much like Don the Con’s refusal, despite all the evidence in the world, his impeachment, etc., to admit he lost) is enraging even to people who might otherwise support Smollett. It’s good his family supports him, but some close relative needs to stage an intervention and tell him to have a come to Jesus moment and get it together. He’s only 39; does he plan to spend the entire rest of his adult life as a pariah in the industries in which he began to launch his career?
jt1990
themanwhoknew I’d say with it being a high profile case, the judge wanted to use the big stage to show that “(hate hoax) crime won’t be tolerated in this state.” This country DOES have a major issue with hate hoaxes, and I guess it was time to send a message from the courtroom.
But most importantly, I think the judge wanted to show everyone he’s more of a man than his strange hairdo suggests.
747jumbojet
Simply stated, this kid is a piece of sh**!!! Max sentence please court system!!!
Next….