Jussie Smollett 'nearly lost hope in our constitutional system' while in jail for 6 days, lawyer says
Jussie Smollett, the Empire actor convicted of lying to police about being the victim of a hate crime, has been released from jail pending appeal after less than a week behind bars.
An appeals court late Wednesday ordered Smollett released while he appeals his conviction, and he was subsequently seen walking out of jail. Last week, a judge sentenced Smollett to 30 months probation, 150 days of which he was ordered to spend in county jail starting immediately.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"He pushed his hands on the glass and his eyes got teary," Uche said. "I've never seen that because he's been very strong in there, and he said, 'I nearly lost hope in our constitutional system.'"
Uche revealed Smollett "hasn't eaten for six days," only drinking ice water while in jail. "I can only imagine if I was in jail for something I didn't do ... I doubt I'd be eating," the attorney said.
Smollett's legal team argues the actor's constitutional rights have been violated because he was charged twice. In 2020, a judge rejected Smollett's double jeopardy claim. Uche also argued Smollett shouldn't have received any jail time, and he slammed the "unprofessional" judge who chastised the actor in court.
"The real question is, should Black men be walked into jail for a class 4 felony?" Uche asked. "Shame on you if you think they should. ... People are still trying to lock Black men up, and it's a disgrace."
Smollett's attorneys previously said he was facing "dangerous threats" as they requested an emergency release. During the sentencing hearing, Judge James Linn told Smollett, "You're just a charlatan pretending to be the victim of a hate crime. And that's shameful."
Smollett maintains his innocence and continues to claim the hate crime really happened.
-
Sudoku: January 2026Puzzles The daily medium sudoku puzzle from The Week
-
Political cartoons for January 13Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include a rocky start, domestic threats, and more
-
Judge clears wind farm construction to resumeSpeed Read The Trump administration had ordered the farm shuttered in December over national security issues
-
‘One Battle After Another’ wins Critics Choice honorsSpeed Read Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, won best picture at the 31st Critics Choice Awards
-
Son arrested over killing of Rob and Michele ReinerSpeed Read Nick, the 32-year-old son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner, has been booked for the murder of his parents
-
Rob Reiner, wife dead in ‘apparent homicide’speed read The Reiners, found in their Los Angeles home, ‘had injuries consistent with being stabbed’
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
