Update: Jussie Smollett will spend his sentence at the Cook County Jail in protective custody, Judge James Linn said Friday (March 11). In agreement with the actor’s attorneys, the judge ruled that Smollett will be isolated from the jail’s approximately 6,000 inmates for the remainder of his 150-day sentence.
Original Story: Jussie Smollett’s family spoke out against his sentence on Thursday (March 10) after the former “Empire” star was sentenced to 150 days in county jail and 30 months of felony probation.
Speaking to reporters outside the Chicago courthouse after Smollett’s sentencing, the actor’s siblings slammed presiding Judge James Linn for “shaming” him.
“[The judge] shamed my brother, he spoke about his arrogance,” Smollett’s brother Jojo Smollett said. “He doesn’t know the struggles my brother is encountering. He doesn’t know anything that he’s dealing with.”
“In 2022, we don’t shame people like this. Alright? He basically called him a mental case,” he added.
Smollett’s older sister Jazz also said she believes her brother is innocent, saying, “This should not be a controversial statement because it is the absolute truth.”
“What should be controversial is the entire miscarriage of justice this whole ordeal has been,” she added.
As reported by REVOLT, Smollett was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report and staging a hate crime in 2019. Along with the jail sentence, Smollett was also ordered to pay the City of Chicago just over $120,000 in restitution as well as a $25,000 fine
During his sentencing hearing, Judge Linn chastised Smollett’s actions.
“There’s a side of you that has this arrogance and selfishness and narcissism that’s just disgraceful,” the judge said. “You’re not a victim of a racial hate crime; you’re not a victim of a homophobic hate crime. You’re just a charlatan pretending to be a victim of a hate crime and that’s shameful.”
Smollett addressed the court saying, “Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”