The Latest in the Smollett Saga

The shadow

The shadow knows!
Any one want to bet he is found "just hanging around" in his cell?
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Jussie plays the race card... again: Disgraced Empire star says he was treated 'more harshly' and sentenced to 150 days in jail 'because he is black': Ranted about NOT being suicidal in case he 'dies like Jeffrey Epstein'

Empire actor Jussie Smollett says he was handed a heftier jail sentence because he is black and that he made sure to mention he is not suicidal in court in order to avoid getting 'Jeffrey Epstein'd' On Thursday Smollett - once a darling of the music and TV world for his success on the show Empire - was sentenced to 150 days in jail. The star was convicted last year of five felony counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police repeatedly when he claimed he was the victim of a race hate attack in January and February 2019. Judge James Linn granted Smollett 'day for day' eligibility which means if he behaves himself behind bars, he will likely be released within 75 days - just over two months. But despite his light sentence, TMZ reported that Smollett told his attorneys before his Thursday court appearance that he would get a harsher sentence than most people convicted of a non-violent offence because he is black, calling it proof of systemic racism in the court system.

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nivek

As Above So Below
Well...

Jussie Smollett is 'placed in Cook County jail psych ward' after court outburst: Brother takes to Instagram to insist the race attack hoaxer is 'in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm'

The brother of Jussie Smollett says the Empire actor has been placed in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail, where he was sentenced to 150 days on Thursday for lying to the police about an alleged hate crime in 2019. 'So Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail. What's very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put in front of his jail cell saying that he's at risk of self-harm,' said Jocqui Smollett in a video posted to his brother's Instagram account Sunday morning Jocqui urged supporters to flood social media with posts hash-tagged #FreeJussie. He also directed them to directly tag the Cook County Jail. 'I want to make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. He wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him,' Jocqui added. In court on Thursday, the disgraced star insisted that he's not suicidal to ensure if something happened to him in jail, the public would know it was foul play - a reference to Jeffrey Epstein's jail cell hanging that many claim was an 'inside job.' Judge James Linn granted Smollett 'day for day' eligibility, which means if he behaves himself behind bars, he will likely be released within 75 days - just over two months. The Cook County Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com.


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The shadow

The shadow knows!
Jussie wants to be the ultimate victim.
I must admit his outburst was the best acting from him.
He will die in jail as a "victim"
 

nivek

As Above So Below
Court orders Jussie Smollett be RELEASED from jail during his appeal after just six days in prison

Disgraced 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett will be released from jail after just six days behind bars. Judges ruled that he should go free while his lawyers work on the appeal of his conviction on five felony counts of lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack. He will be released on a $150,000 personal recognizance bond. Smollett, who has been serving his time in psychiatric care, was sentenced to 150 days behind bars.

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wwkirk

Divine
Court orders Jussie Smollett be RELEASED from jail during his appeal after just six days in prison

Disgraced 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett will be released from jail after just six days behind bars. Judges ruled that he should go free while his lawyers work on the appeal of his conviction on five felony counts of lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack. He will be released on a $150,000 personal recognizance bond. Smollett, who has been serving his time in psychiatric care, was sentenced to 150 days behind bars.

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Disgusting!
 

nivek

As Above So Below
'Is this a joke?' Fury, disbelief and mockery as Jussie Smollett is released from jail after serving just SIX DAYS of five month sentence for lying to cops over hate crime hoax



Last week, after an hours-long sentencing hearing where his attorneys begged for the judge not to jail him, Smollett was sent to the Cook County Jail for 150 days. He protested the sentence, screaming 'I am not suicidal!' and 'if anything happens to me in there I did not do it to myself!' as he was led away. In the six days since, his family and legal team have spammed the court and media with reasons for why he should not stay in jail. They filed an emergency motion claiming he can't be in jail because he immunocompromised and at-risk of COVID. They've also claimed that he was being restrained to a bed in the psyche ward - which was denied by the jail. His family also claimed they'd received threatening voicemails from people saying they were going to hurt him, even though he was under protective custody for the duration of his jail term. On Wednesday night, he was released by an appeals panel that took sympathy on him. As Smollett recuperated with family on Thursday, social media erupted with memes and jokes about his release.

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nivek

As Above So Below
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nivek

As Above So Below
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A three person appellate panel agreed to release Smollett on Wednesday. Judge Thomas E Hoffman, (top), and Judge Joy Cunnigham, (center), said the actor should be released. Judge Maureen Connors, (bottom), called for him to remain behind bars.

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nivek

As Above So Below
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The shadow

The shadow knows!
From Reddit with some good insite.

Question: Is Jussie Smollett's career over?

Oh yes.

Beyond the fact that he’s been convicted in court of lying about a physical attack that had racial overtones, there are the facts that:

  1. He was fired by the program that made him famous - Smollett’s actions and the accompanying publicity resulted in the production having to be canceled when it was unable to secure another network. That alone has sealed his fate as no other television production company of any stature will now employ him and it seems unlikely that any network will air a program on which he’s a performer.
  2. He’s unemployable in films - The same as television in that producers cannot risk employing him and losing distribution deals and product placements for doing so.
  3. He continues to tell the same discredited story - Instead of shutting up and obtaining the psychological counseling that he seems to desperately need, Smollett is continuing to stand by his story which has been proven to be false in its entirety.
  4. Smollet is openly gay - It was always going to be difficult to find him roles as an openly gay Black actor. Now with all of the brouhaha surrounding him, it will be virtually impossible.
  5. Smollett’s talents are limited and thus limiting - He wasn’t a stage-trained actor, he’s not a great singer, and he’s not particularly funny. Basically, his television role was the pinnacle of his current performing abilities, and to be blunt, it simply isn’t enough to overcome the events of his hoax.
Jussy Smollett is finished as a performer of any consequence in the North American media markets. If he were to learn one or more foreign languages it’s possible that he could find work outside of the United States. However, that’s going to need to be several years or so down the road after this entire matter is forgotten about.
 

pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
He and OJ have been unjustly accused. Perhaps they can assist one another in their quest for Justice.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Nigerian brothers who were paid by Jussie Smollett to attack him on Chicago street break their silence on the 'crazy fraudster' and say they still feel 'betrayed' by actor's hoaxed hate crime

The trial saw Cook County prosecutors outline to jurors how Smollett paid $3,500 to Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to stage the January 2019 attack in a shameless bid to coax sympathy from the public as an apparent hate crime. The plot came to light after the brothers, a pair of aspiring actors from Nigeria, confessed the mugging was a hoax after nearly two days in a Chicago lockup. Considered the state's star witnesses at the time, the brother's both delivered in-depth testimonies that laid bare the plot, leading to the actor's conviction in December 2021. Smollett, a gay man, has since vehemently denied the charges, even after serving six days of an agree-upon 150 sentence in a Chicago jail. The Illinois Appellate Court ordered a stay on his sentence last March, as he sought an appeal of his conviction.

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable

Nigerian brothers who were paid by Jussie Smollett to attack him on Chicago street break their silence on the 'crazy fraudster' and say they still feel 'betrayed' by actor's hoaxed hate crime

The trial saw Cook County prosecutors outline to jurors how Smollett paid $3,500 to Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to stage the January 2019 attack in a shameless bid to coax sympathy from the public as an apparent hate crime. The plot came to light after the brothers, a pair of aspiring actors from Nigeria, confessed the mugging was a hoax after nearly two days in a Chicago lockup. Considered the state's star witnesses at the time, the brother's both delivered in-depth testimonies that laid bare the plot, leading to the actor's conviction in December 2021. Smollett, a gay man, has since vehemently denied the charges, even after serving six days of an agree-upon 150 sentence in a Chicago jail. The Illinois Appellate Court ordered a stay on his sentence last March, as he sought an appeal of his conviction.

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Don Lemon.... Lori Lightfoot.... do we still have the guest list from the bandwagon ? Maybe we should call this the Pagones phenomenon. **** all over everything and everyone and be shamelessly unrepentant and get away with it. Except in this case, some of that stuck to the perpetrators. In even more ludicrous cases that have been conveniently forgotten some of the perpetrators have gone on to enrich themselves at the expense of others.
 

nivek

As Above So Below

Jussie Smollett’s career over despite appeal; he ‘burned bridges’: expert

Jussie Smollett's Hollywood career is likely over, even though the actor is attempting to appeal his conviction. The outcome of Smollett's legal battle won't be able to fix the "reputation problems" the 2019 hate crime hoax created for the actor, according to a PR expert who spoke to Fox News Digital.

A jury found Smollett guilty of five charges of disorderly conduct during a nearly two-week trial in 2021. Smollett, who is Black and gay, reported to Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks in January 2019. The manhunt for the attackers soon turned into an investigation of Smollett and his arrest on charges that he’d orchestrated the attack and lied to police about it.

Despite Smollett's decision to appeal the verdict and clear his name, brand experts explained to Fox News Digital that the outcome will likely be "inconsequential" to his Hollywood career.

"What happens with the Smollett appeal is relatively inconsequential to Smollett's career, and it's not a surprise if he doesn't understand that. A retrial and a different verdict can't undo the reputation problems he created for himself," Howard Breuer said. "Everything Smollett has done and continues to do reinforces that he is, as Judge [James] Linn has said, ‘profoundly arrogant,’ ‘selfish’ and ‘narcissistic.’ Not the type producers want to work with."

"If Jussie feels his appeal is somehow going to stave off a bloodbath for concocting what many have seen as one of the biggest scams in American legal history, he should rethink things," Eric Schiffer, a reputation management consultant, told Fox News Digital.

Kelcey Kintner, VP of crisis management firm Red Banyan, explained that the appeals process is "dragging out" the legal battle.

"The appeal process is absolutely hurting his ability, at least in the short term, to make a comeback because it's dragging out the story considerably. All the accusations of Smollett faking this crime are back in the press and getting rehashed again," she told Fox News Digital. "When anyone is in the middle of a crisis, it's far better, if possible, to address it, take responsibility as needed and then move on. You don't want to keep putting out new developments in the story."

But his chances at making a Hollywood comeback aren't completely gone, and winning the appeal could give him "credibility," Kintner said.

"He may be eventually hirable," she said. "Winning the appeal would certainly give him more credibility and a better chance of rebuilding his acting career. But it's not an easy fix. There's a big difference between winning an appeal and convincing the public that he's innocent in all this. A legal win doesn't mean that public perception will be immediately changed."

However, Breuer, CEO of Newsroom Public Relations, noted that Smollett has likely "burned bridges" with the hate crime hoax.

"There is a demand, a need, in Hollywood for talented actors who are Black and gay – but when Smollett exploited those elements in a selfish quest for 15 minutes of fame, he burned bridges, probably for good, with any producer or network executive who takes seriously the need for tolerance and equality for all races and sexual orientations."


(More on the link)

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pigfarmer

tall, thin, irritable
Smollett case is a reminder of a 1980s hoax | amNewYork

Smollett case is a reminder of a 1980s hoax​

By Len LevittPosted on February 26, 2019

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Rev Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference at the midtown office of Sen Kirsten Gillibrand on Dec. 16, 2018.


Rev Al Sharpton speaks during a news conference at the midtown office of Sen Kirsten Gillibrand on Dec. 16, 2018. Photo Credit: SOMOS Community Care


Was that the Rev. Al Sharpton calling out actor Jussie Smollett, saying the now-former “Empire” star should face “accountability to the maximum” if he faked a bias attack in Chicago last month?

“Whoever is wrong should pay the maximum,” Sharpton said after having lunch with Democratic presidential hopeful Kamala Harris at Sylvia’s, the landmark Harlem restaurant. The California senator already had called the so-called attack on Smollett an “attempted modern day lynching.”

“If Smollett is wrong, he ought to face accountability to the maximum,” Sharpton said. Chicago authorities have charged Smollett with staging an attack that the actor cast as a racist and homophobic hate crime.


Was Sharpton being facetious, or did he think people had forgotten that he perpetuated a racial hoax more than 30 years ago: that four white men attacked Tawana Brawley, who is African-American?
For anyone who might have forgotten or don’t know: Brawley was a Dutchess County 15-year-old who went missing for four days in 1987. She was found inside a plastic bag, feces in her hair, the N-word scrawled on her stomach. She claimed the white men in KKK regalia — one of whom she recognized as a police officer — had raped and sodomized her. A grand jury report under the auspices of the state’s attorney general’s office found Brawley’s story to be a lie.
Sharpton specifically accused Assistant Dutchess County Attorney Steven Pagones as one of Brawley’s attackers. After Pagones won a defamation suit against Sharpton and two of Brawley’s attorneys, Sharpton had failed to pay his share of the award. Unless I missed it, the closest Sharpton has come to an apology or repentance is stating: “A lot of the rhetoric, including mine, went too far.”

In Chicago, Smollett claimed that after leaving a Subway restaurant around 2 a.m. on Jan. 29, he was attacked by two men, whom he claimed used racial and homophobic slurs and slipped a noose around his neck.
Chicago police called Smollett’s claim “pure fiction” and a publicity stunt to generate a higher salary from “Empire.” Last Thursday, Smollett turned himself in on several charges, including a felony count of having filed a false police report.
 
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