Charges Against ‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett Dropped in Alleged Faked Attack And People Are Shocked
Charges against Empire star Jussie Smollett have been dropped.
The actor will not be prosecuted for allegedly faking a racist attack on himself, according to TMZ. He and his lawyers appeared in court in Chicago on Tuesday morning. According to the outlet, in court Smollett was ordered to surrender his $10,000 bond, but other than t hat the case has been closed. Per TMZ's reporting, the State's Attorney, Kim Foxx, told Chicago police she intended to drop the case because Smollett would have only gotten community service. Police are said to be "furious" with the outcome, and the public appeared shocked but not outraged with the decision.
Foxx's office released a statement about the case, saying, "After reviewing all of the fact and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett's volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case."
Smollett's family are also happy with the outcome, In a statement, obtained by TMZ, the family said "truth has prevailed and [Jussie] has been vindicated."
"While many were quick to rush to judgement before hearing the actual truth, we are grateful that the truth about Jussie has come to light. We look forward to bringing the real perpetrators to justice," the statement said.
After the decision was announced, Twitter was flooded with reactions to the dropped charges. Some felt it was proof of his innocence, others were confused by Smollett's ability to walk away after facing 16 felony counts.
"If you are happy that Jussie Smollett was able to walk away from 16 FELONY counts, then there is something seriously wrong with you. What just happened is utterly disgusting. Jussie is guilty, and he belongs in prison," one Twitter user wrote.
Another said, "Two takeaways from the Jussie Smollett case. The Chicago PD has always been corrupt and Jussie should sue them for all their [SIC] worth. Period."
"If the prosecutor has merely struck a generous plea bargain under which @JussieSmollett avoided jail but admitted guilt to at least one offense, people would have grumbled about unfair treatment, but understood. Dropping charges is a purely political act, and reeks of corruption," a third wrote.
Another Twitter user added, "From 45 [Trump] to Jussie Smollett, I really need people to stop confusing 'not exonerated' with 'full exoneration', and even confusing 'charges dismissed' with 'fully cleared.' There is so little room in this binary world for we who understand nuance."
Smollett and his lawyer addressed the media, saying they were grateful to all their supporters. They added in the statement that Smollett would never put the LGBTQ community "through a fire like this."
No further information has been released at this time. It's unclear how Smollett's legal team plans to move forward in pursuing the alleged perpetrators.