The Jussie Smollett saga finally ends with charitable donation settlement

"This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear," Smollett said in a statement.

The Jussie Smollett saga finally ends with charitable donation settlement

The curious case of Jussie Smollett and the dubious hate crime has finally come to a close today as the actor made substantial charitable donations to settle a civil suit with the city of Chicago. The city sued the actor for more than $130,000, the apparent cost of the Chicago Police Department probe that determined his claims were a hoax. Smollett, who continues to maintain his innocence to this day, released a lengthy statement saying he was happy to give the money away, as long as he wasn’t giving it to the Chicago PD.

To recap: In 2019, Smollett claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack. However, an investigation by Chicago police and prosecutors determined that Smollett had staged the attack as a publicity stunt because he was unhappy about his salary on Empire. Prosecutors dropped the charges shortly after Smollett’s arrest, but he was later charged again by a special prosecutor and put on trial. (His attackers testified in the trial that Smollett paid them to do it.) Smollett was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to prison in 2022, though he doggedly denied the charges to the end. In 2024, the conviction was overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court, not because of any evidence in the case but on the basis of double jeopardy.

TL;DR: It’s been a really weird few years for Jussie Smollett! But the civil suit was the last remaining remnant of his legal troubles, and that seems to be put to bed at last. Smollett made a $50,000 donation Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, plus “an additional $10,000.00 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center who provides resources to communities healing from the violence of the Chicago Police Department,” per his statement. “The City believes this settlement provides a fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward,” a Law Department spokesperson said (via CBS News). You can read Smollett’s full statement (via Deadline), in which he declares himself “innocent both in the eyes of God and of our criminal justice system,” below.

“Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear. These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear….They have received neither.

The decision to settle the civil lawsuit was not the most difficult one to make. After repeatedly refusing to pay the City, I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed. Despite what happened there politically, Chicago was my home for over 5 years and the people became my family. Therefore, making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support. I’ve made a $50,000.00 donation to Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self-expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth. This organization was of my choosing and I’m comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience.

Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case is now dismissed, I’m aware that it will not change everyone’s mind about me or the attack I experienced. However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent both in the eyes of God and of our criminal justice system. What I have to do now is move forward. I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.

Lastly, I’m grateful to have had the resources to defend myself. So many do not. They are backed into corners to take deals or confess to crimes they did not actually commit. In their honor, I am donating an additional $10,000.00 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center who provides resources to communities healing from the violence of the Chicago Police Department. To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you. To everyone who has supported me, thank you. Your prayers and belief in me mean more than words can properly express. I will never take it lightly and will never forget. Onward.

With Love & Respect,

Jussie Smollett”

 
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