Judge scolds actor over ‘vile’ allegations
Empire star accused of pulling resources away from other investigations
CHICAGO— A Cook County judge scolded Jussie Smollett as he set bond Thursday at $100,000 (U.S.) on charges that the Em
pire actor staged an attack on himself, falsely claiming that two men called him slurs while placing a noose around his neck and beating him last month in downtown Chicago.
“The most vile and despicable part of it, if it’s true, is the noose,” said Judge John Fitzgerald Lyke Jr., who is black. “That symbol conjures up such evil in this country’s history.”
Smollett, 36, was released from Cook County Jail about 3:45 p.m. after a friend in California posted the necessary $10,000 cash, court records show.
Earlier in the afternoon, an attorney for Smollett, Jack Prior, said in court that the actor “vehemently denies” the allegations and that the charged conduct was “inconsistent with Mr. Smollett’s character.” Prior said Smollett does extensive charity work, does not pose a safety threat and will not flee the jurisdiction. “He wants nothing more than to clear his name,” Prior said.
The attorney also noted that the Fox network was standing by Smollett, who had been scheduled to report to the Empire TV show set just an hour after his court appearance began.
While Fox initially was stead- fast in its support of the actor, saying earlier this week he is a “consummate professional on set” and would not be written off the show, the network was more subdued Thursday, with a statement saying simply, “We understand the seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process. We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our options.”
Hours earlier, Chicago police Superintendent Eddie Johnson spoke in anger when describing the allegations.
Johnson said Smollett faked a threatening letter and then, a week later, staged the attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on Empire.
Smollett paid two brothers he knew $3,500 to fake the attack on East North Water Street around 2 a.m. Jan. 29, Johnson said, striking him a few times and putting a noose around his neck in front of a camera they erroneously thought caught the act. The superintendent called the scheme “shameful” and wondered how an AfricanAmerican could set up a racist attack for a “publicity stunt.”
“First, Smollett attempted to gain attention by sending a false letter that relied on racial, homophobic and political language,” Johnson said. “When that didn’t work, Smollett paid $3,500 to stage this attack and drag Chicago’s reputation through the mud.”
“It’s just despicable,” he said. “It makes you wonder what’s going on in someone’s mind to be able to do something like that. Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile?”
Johnson began his news conference by looking out at the crowded room of reporters at police headquarters and noting, “I just wish that the families of gun violence in this city got this much attention.”
If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison and could be ordered to pay for the cost of the investigation, which involved more than 20 detectives over three weeks.