Jussie Smollett

Appeals court upholds actor Jussie Smollett's convictions and jail sentence

3:06pm December 01, 2023

by The Associated Press

An appeals court upheld the disorderly conduct convictions of the "Empire" actor, who was accused of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself in 2019 and lying about it to Chicago police.

Jussie Smollett talks to the media in 2019 before leaving the court in Cook County, Ill. The actor will face sentencing on Thursday.

National

Jussie Smollett returns to court for sentencing for lying about an attack on him

12:27pm March 10, 2022

by Deepa Shivaram

The former Empire actor was convicted on five felony counts of lying to police, but he has maintained that he did not stage the 2019 attack in which he claimed to be the victim.

Actor Jussie Smollett, center, arriving at Leighton Criminal Court in Chicago in July. at the Building on July 14, 2021, in Chicago.

Jury selection begins today in Jussie Smollett criminal trial

11:43am November 29, 2021

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

The former Empire actor is accused of lying to Chicago police about being the purported victim of a hate crime in Jan. 2019. He is charged with six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

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Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx sparked controversy last year when her office abruptly dropped charges against actor Jussie Smollett. On Monday, a special prosecutor announced the findings of his investigation into the handling of the case.

National

Investigation Finds 'Abuses' And 'Failures' In Handling Of First Jussie Smollett Case

10:15pm August 17, 2020

by Rachel Treisman

A special prosecutor's investigation found "abuses of discretion and operational failures" in the Cook County State's Attorney's Office handling of the case, but nothing to support criminal charges.

A judge has ordered a special prosecutor to look into how the case against actor Jussie Smollett was handled. Smollett is seen here in March, leaving a courthouse in Chicago after all charges against him were dropped.

National

Judge Orders Special Prosecutor To Review Handling Of Jussie Smollett Case

3:06pm June 21, 2019

by Bill Chappell

A judge in Illinois' Cook County says a special prosecutor should review the case "to restore the public's confidence in the integrity of our criminal justice system."

Jussie Smollett arrives at a Chicago courthouse for a hearing in March.

Chicago Police Roll Out Hundreds Of Pages Of Records In Jussie Smollett Case

7:03pm May 30, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

The document dump Thursday offers a detailed view of the case that investigators had crafted against the Empire actor, only to see prosecutors to drop those charges in a move that frustrated police.

Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx speaks at a news conference in February.

National

State's Attorney Closely Followed Smollett Case After Recusal, Text Messages Show

10:46am April 17, 2019

In the messages, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx expresses concern with heavy-handed charging of Empire star Jussie Smollett, compared to other defendants accused of more serious crimes.

Jussie Smollett leaves a Chicago courthouse Tuesday, shortly after prosecutors dropped all charges against him. The move was met with anger from local authorities and confusion from plenty of onlookers.

Making Sense Of The Smollett Legal Drama: What's Going On Here?

8:15pm March 27, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

Fair warning: There are questions we just can't answer at this point. But there are also plenty we can. Here's an attempt to explain the charges against the Empire actor — and the move to drop them.

Chicago's top prosecutor, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx, recused herself from the investigation before Empire actor Jussie Smollett was charged.

'We Cannot Be Driven By Emotions': Top Chicago Prosecutor Defends Smollett Decision

6:27pm March 27, 2019

In an interview with WBEZ, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx explains why her office suddenly dropped charges against the actor.

Actor Jussie Smollett after his court appearance at Leighton Courthouse on March 26, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. This morning in court it was announced that all charges were dropped against the actor.

The Jussie Smollett Allegations: A Timeline Of What Happened When

5:55pm March 27, 2019

by Colin Dwyer

A lot has happened in roughly two months — from the Empire actor's initial police report in Chicago to prosecutors' decision to drop the charges against him. Here's a brief history of the key dates.