Actor Jussie Smollett, who was convicted last year of staging an entirely fake hate crime against himself and lying to the police, has been sentenced on Thursday to 150 days in prison for his actions, according to a report from Fox News.
Smollett was also sentenced to 30 months of felony probation. He will be required to pay a $25,000 fine and over $120,000 in restitution.
Smollett reported a racial and homophobic attack to the Chicago police in 2019, which the judge determined was fabricated. Since then, Smollett has handily maintained his innocence, to no avail. According to The Guardian, Smollett was convicted on five of six felony charges, including disorderly conduct and lying to the police.
Courtroom cameras captured the moment when Judge James Linn scorched Smollett during sentencing, stating, “Your very name has become an adverb for lying, and I cannot imagine what could be worse than that.” He added that Smollett’s actions have caused him to become caricatured in pop culture and media as the “butt” of jokes.
“This is all self-inflicted,” Linn stated. “These are things you did to yourself.”
Smollett, who was best known for portraying a black, gay character on the show “Empire,” was eviscerated in the trial preceding his sentencing. The two men who “attacked” Smollett testified against him, according to The Guardian, and said that Smollett paid them to stage the attack and make a noose out of rope that he gave them money to buy.
Although a Black Lives Matter organizer and friends and family provided testimony or letters in court claiming that Smollett was innocent, the evidence again him in court was overwhelming. Unfortunately for Smollett, lying to the police and staging a fake hate crime for attention has not worked well for him.
“You were throwing a national pity party for yourself,” Judge Linn stated at the sentencing. Smollett’s jail time began immediately on Thursday.
