Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago have come to an agreement, settling the $130,000 lawsuit tied to his infamous 2019 hate crime hoax where the former Empire star was found guilty of filing a false police report involving two “MAGA-supporting” assailants.
While the specifics of the settlement remain under wraps, both parties have confirmed that “additional time is needed” to finalize the documentation, according to NBC.
This legal saga began in January 2019 after Smollett claimed to be the victim of a vicious, homophobic, racist attack by two MAGA-supporting assailants where he was “assaulted, doused in bleach, and tied by the neck with a noose.” However, the story quickly unraveled, exposing what many quickly labeled a poorly executed hoax. Testimony from the Osundairo brothers, who were paid by Smollett to stage the attack, revealed that Smollett had written them a check to fake the entire ordeal.
Though Cook County State Attorney Kimberly Foxx initially dropped charges against Smollett, the case was resurrected after public pressure.
Smollett was convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, but his conviction was overturned last year by the Illinois Supreme Court on a technicality involving his Fifth Amendment rights. Despite serving only five days of a five-month sentence, Smollett has maintained his innocence.
In February 2019, the actor attended a concert where he spoke on the incident. “I’m not fully healed yet, but I’m going to,” he said, reading from a piece of paper. “Just because there has been a lot of stuff said about me that’s absolutely not true.” Glancing at the venue’s balcony, he continued: “I’m sure my lawyer’s sitting up there like ‘No, Jussie, no.’”
Making a bold statement to wrap up his remarks, he added, “Above all, I fought… back. I’m the gay Tupac.”
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