Jussie Smollett Scores Nomination for Major Award After Charges Are Dropped

Just days after Chicago prosecutors dropped all charges against Jussie Smollett, the “Empire” star is up for an NAACP Award.

USA Today reported that this is the fourth year in a row that Smollett is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series at the 2019 NAACP Image Awards, which are set to take place on Saturday night. Anthony Anderson, who is hosting the awards show for the sixth time, expressed his hopes that Smollett will actually be in attendance at the show.

“I hope he wins,” Anderson said. “I’m happy for him that the system worked for him in his favor because the system isn’t always fair, especially for people of color. So I’m glad it worked out for him.”

“It’s not my place or any other person’s place to judge him or what not, but I’m glad that he’s nominated,” he added. “I hope he wins because I’d be interested to hear his speech.”

When asked if Smollett would go to the awards show, his representative Pamela Sharp said that she did “not have that information as of now.” Naturi Naughton, who costars with Smollett on “Empire,” told TMZ that she is hoping he stays clear of the ceremony.

“I’m a fan and I love him but if anyone else was indicted on 16 counts for committing a crime or a hoax, would you want them representing the NAACP?” she said. “That’s not what the NAACP stands for.”

This comes as the FBI is investigating why prosecutors dropped charges against Smollett, who was facing 48 years in prison for faking a hate crime. He had claimed that he was jumped by two men who hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him while also expressing pro-Trump views, but evidence later indicated that Smollett had actually hired the men to jump him in the hopes that the publicity of the attack would cause him to get a pay raise.

Smollett should be in prison right now, not be up for major awards. It’s ridiculous that prosecutors dropped charges against him, and we hope that justice is somehow still served in this case and that Smollett eventually ends up in jail where he belongs.