After hours of excuses and distraction from his attorneys, actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail Thursday night for making up a hate crime against himself. He's also required to pay the city of Chicago after wasting more than $100,000 in police resources to investigate "the crime." Spencer has all of the details covered here.
When Smollett learned his fate, he had a meltdown in the court room. He started shouting before he was taken away.
"You will spend the first 150 days of your sentence in the Cook County Jail and that starts today. Right here and right now," the judge told Smollett.
"I would just like to say your honor, I am not suicidal. I am not suicidal!" Smollett yelled. "I am not suicidal! I am innocent and I am not suicidal! If did this then it means I stuck my stuck my fist in the fears of black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBTQ community. Your honor I respect you and I respect the jury but I did not do this and I am not suicidal. If anything happens to me when I go in there I did not do it to myself and you must all know that."
NOW - Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation for lying to police and staging hate crime.pic.twitter.com/d2vHelSBoz
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In the middle of a blizzard in January 2019, Smollett claimed he was attacked by two white men who yelled, "This is MAGA country." He said the men were Trump supporters who put a noose over his neck and poured bleach on his body while he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop in Chicago at 2 a.m.
Media figures and celebrities immediately jumped to his defense, but his story quickly fell apart as police investigated the situation.