Jussie Smollett will be released from jail upon posting of a $150,000 on bond as he appeals his conviction over his 2019 false report of a hate crime against himself.
On Wednesday, an appellate court in Illinois granted the “Empire” star’s motion for his jail sentence to be put on hold pending the outcome of his appeal, per court documents obtained by Access Hollywood.
Smollett has been in Cook County Sheriff’s custody since last Thursday, when Judge James Linn sentenced the 39-year-old to 30 months felony probation – the first 150 days of which would be spent in jail. The actor was also ordered to pay the city of Chicago restitution of $120,106 and was fined $25,000.
After his sentence was announced, Smollett – who has long denied any wrongdoing – shared an impassioned plea that he was “innocent” and “not suicidal.”
“If I did this, I stuck my fist in fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years, and the fears of the LGBTQ community,” he said in part. “Your honor, I respect you, and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, and you must all know that.”
In December 2021, a Chicago jury found Smollett guilty of five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct for falsely reporting a hate crime against himself back in 2019.
The “Alien: Covenant” actor previously claimed to police that he was the target of a racist and homophobic attack in January 2019. In the initial police report, he claimed he was assaulted by two masked men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs. He also claimed that the men poured an unknown substance on him and put a noose around his neck, per the Chicago Police.
Smollett was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct one month later in February. He plead not guilty at the time, and charges against him were dropped in March 2019.
Then, in February 2020, the “Marshall” actor was indicted by a special prosecutor. Smollett broke his silence about the situation in September 2020, speaking with Marc Lamont Hill in an Instagram Live interview. During that conversation, he maintained his innocence and said he felt like he was being made an example of, calling the situation “beyond frustrating.”
