Four years after Empire premiered, its lead star, Jussie Smollett, found himself at the center of a scandal when he reported being the victim of an attack – only for it to later emerge that the incident was allegedly staged by Jussie himself.
Now, six years later, Netflix is revisiting the legal battles and social media firestorm surrounding the so-called "hoax" hate crime attack with its new documentary, The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
HELLO! takes a closer look at what happened to Jussie Smollett and where the former Empire star is today, as Deputy TV and Film Editor Nicky Morris shares her insight into what viewers can expect from the documentary.
© Getty ImagesJussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct
Alleged fake hate crime
In January 2019, Chicago police launched an investigation into a suspected racist and homophobic attack on Jussie by two masked men. Authorities reported that the actor had been punched in the face, had an "unknown chemical substance" poured on him, and had a rope placed around his neck.
Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false police report in February 2019. Although prosecutors dropped the charges in March 2019, Jussie had already been axed in Empire .
"Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election," Jussie's legal team said at the time.
"Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing."
Jussie pleaded not guilty to 16 counts of disorderly conduct and was cleared of all charges less than two weeks after.
© Getty ImagesJussie in court in Chicago
Court Case
In 2020, special prosecutor Dan Webb re-indicted Jussie, alleging that he knowingly filed a false report when he claimed to have been assaulted. Despite being found guilty in 2021 on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, Jussie has continued to maintain his innocence.
Jussie was sentenced to jail in March 2022 but was released just six days later. Although the sentence was upheld on appeal in 2023, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction in 2024, ruling that he had already fulfilled the terms of the 2019 plea agreement.
© NetflixJussie Smollett in The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
Documentary
HELLO!'s Deputy TV and Film Editor Nicky Morris is keen to watch the film. "I'm love a good true crime documentary and The Truth About Jussie Smollett? is certainly on my watchlist," she shared.
"The film comes from the producers from Don't [Expletive] with Cats, which was easily one of the most unsettling documentary series I've seen and kept me glued to my sofa. If Netflix's new doc is anything like that, it will be worth the watch."
© FOX Image Collection via Getty IJussie Smollett, Trai Byers, Bryshere Gray and Taraji P. Henson in an episode of Empire
Career history
Jussie began his career as a child actor with a role in The Mighty Ducks. He later rose to fame starring alongside Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson on Fox’s hit series Empire, which ran from 2015 to 2020. He comes from a family of performers, including siblings Jurnee and Jake Smollett.
© Getty ImagesJussie Smollett speaks onstage during the 10th annual Hollywood Beauty Awards
Where is Jussie today?
Following his release, Jussie appeared in the 2023 docuseries Jussie Smollett: Anatomy of a Hoax and went on to star in the 2024 film The Lost Holiday.
In June 2025, Jussie announced his engagement to Jabari Redd. He is also set to appear in season 3 of Fox’s Special Forces.
