Jussie Smollett Released From Jail Six Days Into 150-Day Sentence

Former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett was released from jail yesterday on a $150,000 bond just six days into his 150-day sentence for lying to police about allegedly staging a hate crime against himself back in 2019.

Smollett Freed By Appellate Justices

Daily Mail reported that Smollett was freed by a three-person appeals panel who ruled in a 2-1 vote that he should be free on bond while he contests his conviction. 

“The defendant has been convicted of non-violent offenses and that this court will be unable to dispose of the instant appeal before the defendant would have served his entire sentence of incarceration,” appellate justices Thomas E. Hoffman and Joy Cunningham ruled. 

“It is hereby ordered that the motion of the defendant, Jussie Smollett, to stay his sentence of incarceration and to grant him a bond pending the disposition of his appeal or until further order of this court is granted,” they added. 

Judge Maureen Connors disagreed, saying, “I dissent and would deny this motion.”

Related: Jussie Smollett Demands To Be Released From Jail After Receiving ‘Vicious Threats’

Social Media Users Respond

Social media users have made it clear that they are livid that Smollett has been set free:

Smollett Refused To Eat While In Jail

Smollett’s lawyer Nenye Uche celebrated the ruling, telling reporters, “Obviously the Smollett family are very, very happy about this. We are elated.”

Uche then revealed that Smollett had refused to eat any food during his six days behind bars, surviving only on ice water.

“Ice water, that’s been his food and liquid. I can only imagine if I was in jail for something I didn’t do, I wouldn’t be eating,” Uche said, adding that Smollett reacted with “shock” when he learned he was going to be released.

“He was shocked,” the lawyer said. “He had nearly given up.”

Jussie Smollett Unravels In Bizarre Rant After Being Sentenced To Jail Time (VIDEO)

Smollett’s Lawyer Slams Judge 

Uche then slammed Judge James Linn, claiming that he politicized Smollett’s trial.

“There is no room for politics in our court system, and our appellate courts do not play politics,” Uche said, questioning if Smollett should have been tried in the first place, given the fact that the initial charges against him had been dropped once in 2019 before he was charged again in 2020. 

“I wondered to myself whether Chicago had seceeded from the union,” Smollett’s lawyer said. “Because in this country, you cannot try someone twice. It is unconstitutional to try someone twice. Mr Smollett paid a $10,000 fine and did community service. There is no time machine to go back again and redo it. Then you retry the case. You give him 150 days in jail, and restitution.”

Smollett Allegedly Stages Hate Crime

Smollett claimed back in January of 2019 that he was jumped by two men in Chicago who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him while also shouting “this is MAGA country” and putting a noose around his neck. Police, however, concluded that Smollett had allegedly paid two men to attack him in the hopes of making himself famous enough to secure a raise on “Empire.”

Smollett tried to play off the racial and political divisions in this country for his own personal gain, and he deserves to be punished for that. We’ll have to wait to see how his appeal goes and if he will serve out the rest of his sentence in jail as the judge intended.