Jussie Smollett went from alleged hate-crime victim to one of the most controversial celebrity legal stories of the last few years, and his case has had a new twist recently with his conviction being overturned.

Quick Scoop: What Happened

  • In January 2019, Smollett, a Black and gay actor best known for Empire , reported to Chicago police that he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic street attack.
  • He said two masked men shouted slurs, referenced “MAGA,” put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical (described as bleach) on him.
  • Within weeks, Chicago police said they believed he had staged the attack with the help of two brothers he knew, allegedly to boost his profile and pay.
  • In 2019 he was first charged with multiple counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, but those early charges were dropped in a controversial move by local prosecutors.
  • A special prosecutor was later appointed, and in 2020 he was re‑indicted on new counts of felony disorderly conduct.
  • In December 2021, a jury found him guilty on five of six counts of disorderly conduct related to lying to police.
  • In March 2022, he was sentenced to 30 months of probation, including 150 days in jail, plus fines and restitution to the city.
  • He served a few days in jail before being released pending appeal.

Big Recent Update

  • In November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction and ordered the case dismissed.
  • The court didn’t say “he was innocent”; instead, it ruled that the second prosecution violated due process because of an earlier agreement with prosecutors (he had forfeited bond and done community service in 2019).
  • In plain terms: the conviction is gone on legal grounds, and the state was told it could not pursue that second case against him.

How Forums and Public Opinion See It

Online discussions and forums still treat the case as a “hoax” story, often mocking the details (the late‑night Subway run in extreme cold, mention of MAGA hats, and bleach) and debating whether he should ever work in Hollywood again.

“It’s a juicy topic” – typical sentiment in news forums, where people rehash the evidence, the fairness of the sentence, and the later reversal.

You’ll also see:

  • Some arguing that even with the conviction overturned, the public will keep seeing it as a staged hate crime.
  • Others focusing on the due‑process issue, saying the legal system has to honor deals, whether you like the defendant or not.
  • Fans pointing to his continued insistence that he did not fake a hate crime and that he has been further victimized by false narratives.

Where Things Stand Now

  • Legally: his 2021 conviction for disorderly conduct tied to the alleged hoax has been reversed and the case ordered dismissed, so he no longer has that conviction on the books.
  • Publicly: the incident remains a major stain on his reputation, and the story still resurfaces as a meme and a cautionary tale in discussions about hate crimes and “fake reports.”
  • Career‑wise: coverage in entertainment outlets frames him as a former Empire star trying to rebuild his life and work in the industry under the shadow of the scandal.

TL;DR: In 2019 Jussie Smollett reported a racist and homophobic attack; police later said he staged it, he was convicted of lying about it, sentenced to jail and probation, then in 2024 that conviction was overturned on due‑process grounds, but the controversy and doubts around his story haven’t gone away.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.