Smollett: Hoax Gets 150 Days Jail
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Former Empire actor (and one could hope, former actor) Jussie Smollett was sentenced Thursday for making false reports to police that he was the victim of a hate crime in January 2019.
Smollett received 30 months of felony probation, including 150 days in jail. He was ordered to pay restitution of more than $120,000 and a $25,000 fine.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/10/us/jussie-smollett-sentencing-trial/index.html
When asked if he had anything to add, Smollett had an outburst in the Chicago courtroom and repeatedly yelled, "I am not suicidal, and I am innocent.
"If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years. And the fears of the LGBT community," Smollett said. He grew increasingly upset and eventually raised his fist in the air.
Huh?!?
The takeaway: A long-awaited accounting is served to an arrogant and delusional LGBT public figure of color who betrayed his own peoples.
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I was hoping he got the full sentence possible.
Hoax hate crimes do real harm to actual victims of hate crimes.
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@raphjd said in Smollett: Hoax Gets 150 Days Jail:
I was hoping he got the full sentence possible.
Hoax hate crimes do real harm to actual victims of hate crimes.
I think the sentence is fair - that is, on par with what a non-famous person would receive. IMHO, fame should not be a "free pass" to do illegal things, but it also shouldn't come with harsher penalties either!
Those fines are not inconsequential - especially since he is all-but blacklisted in the Entertainment Industry.
As for his continued insistence that he's not guilty? Well, the jails are FULL of people who swear they're innocent, contrary to what a "jury of their peers" determined....
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I'm not saying he should have gotten the full 15 years, but he should have gotten the 3 years max for at least one of the 5 felonies.
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How could he not think he would be caught??
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@raphjd Well, that pic was unexpected, thanks for the jolt.
Oh, Jussie, Jussie, Jussie. I don't know if Yahoo! is the pinnacle of news, but here's their take on post-trial events.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jussie-smollett-reportedly-psych-ward-141658832.html
Jussie -- in or out of a bed with psych restraints? Family offers information or manipulation? And celebrities bemoaning the sentence and alleging ill-treatment (well, it's jail and not St. Barts, fyi).
I have this feeling that he will have a PR team trying to keep him relevant during his incarceration. As much as I wrestle with cancel culture, this is one celebrity for whom I would not advocate.
There's plenty of young African-American actors who could be given a chance, without this history of public deception.
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[https://www.newsweek.com/i-didnt-understand-jussie-smollettuntil-i-compared-him-trump-opinion-1686831](link url)
As correctly pointed out by the commentator in the link above, all you need to do is keep repeating your lie with the support of a vocal minority and the acquiescence of everyone else on your side of the political divide. Keep doing that and you won't really suffer any punishment in Cancel Culture. Smollett maintaining his innocence despite overwhelming evidence and investigation is no different than Trump maintaining he won the election despite overwhelming evidence and investigation.
