Jussie Smollett born June 21, 1982 is an American actor and singer who began his career as a child actor in 1991, making his debut in The Mighty Ducks (1992). From 2015 to 2019, he gained widespread recognition for his role as musician Jamal Lyon on the Fox drama series Empire. In January 2019, Smollett reported being the victim of a hate crime; however, investigations later revealed that he had staged the attack with two acquaintances.
Jussie Smollett Biography 2024
Initially charged with filing a false police report, the charges were dropped after he completed community service and paid a $10,000 bond. In 2020, a special prosecutor re-indicted Smollett, and he was convicted of five felony counts in December 2021. Sentenced to jail in March 2022, the ruling was upheld on appeal in 2023, but in 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed the conviction, stating that Smollett had fulfilled the terms of his plea agreement made in 2019.
Jussie Smollett Biography Details
| Born | June 21, 1982 (age 42) Santa Rosa, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1991–1995; 2009–present |
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| Relatives | Jurnee Smollett (sister)
Jake Smollett (brother) |
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Jussie Smollett Early Life
Jussie Smollett was born in Santa Rosa, California, to Joel and Janet (née Harris) Smollett. He has three brothers Jake, Jocqui, and Jojo and two sisters Jurnee and Jazz several of whom are also actors. Smollett is biracial and Jewish, with his mother being African-American and his father being Jewish. He has mentioned that his father would “kill you if you called him white.” His father was largely absent from his life during much of his childhood.
When Smollett was two years old, his family moved to Elmhurst, a neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City, and later relocated to Los Angeles when he was around seven. He graduated from Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey. At the age of 19, Smollett came out to his parents, revealing that he was gay.
Jussie Smollett Career
Career Milestone | Details |
Debut Role | The Mighty Ducks (1992) as Terry Hall |
Early Television Roles | Appeared in On Our Own (1994-1995), a sitcom with his siblings |
Film Appearances | Featured in North (1994) and Rob Reiner’s North (1994) |
Television Guest Appearances | The Mindy Project (2012) and Revenge (2014) |
Jussie Smollett Role in Empire
Character | Years |
Role | Jamal Lyon, a gay musician |
Show | Empire (2015-2019) |
Co-Stars | Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard |
Notable Achievements | Role praised for LGBTQ+ representation on television |
Jussie Smollett Music Career
Album or EP | Details |
The Poisoned Hearts Club | EP released in 2012 |
Sum of My Music | Debut album released in March 2018 |
Music Style | R&B, electronic music, hip hop |
Collaborations | Worked with artists like Alicia Keys, Estelle |
Jussie Smollett 2019 Controversy
Incident | Details |
Alleged Hate Crime | Smollett claimed he was attacked in January 2019 |
Investigation Outcome | It was revealed he staged the attack with two acquaintances |
Charges | Initially dropped, later re-indicted and convicted |
Legal Outcome | Illinois Supreme Court reversed conviction in 2024 |
Jussie Smollett Personal Life
Personal Detail | Details |
Sexual Orientation | Came out as gay in 2015 during an interview with Ellen DeGeneres |
Family | Has five siblings, including actress Jurnee Smollett |
Legal Issues | Arrested for false police report, and DUI in the past |
Jussie Smollett Television Career
Television Role | Details |
Empire | Jamal Lyon (2015-2019) |
The Mindy Project | Barry Stassen (2012) |
Revenge | Jamie (2014) |
Underground | Josey (2016) |
Jussie Smollett Music Releases
Song Title | Details |
“Good Enough” | Featured on Empire soundtrack |
“I Wanna Love You” | Co-written for Empire Original Soundtrack |
“You’re So Beautiful” | A popular song from Empire |
“Freedom” | Released as a single from Sum of My Music |
Jussie Smollett Legal History
Legal Issue | Details |
DUI Incident | Pleaded no contest to providing false information to police in 2007 |
Hate Crime Hoax | Staged hate crime in 2019, leading to legal consequences |
Conviction | Convicted in 2021, sentence upheld in 2023, reversed in 2024 |
Awards and Nominations
Award | Details |
BET Awards | Nominated for Best Actor for Empire (2015) |
NAACP Image Awards | Nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
Young Artist Award | Nominated for Outstanding Young Ensemble Cast in The Mighty Ducks |
Jussie Smollett Directorial Debut
Film | Details |
B-Boy Blues | Directed and wrote the film, released in November 2021 |
The Lost Holliday | Upcoming film directed and co-written by Smollett in 2024 |
Jussie Smollett Music Collaborations
Artist | Details |
Alicia Keys | Featured on the track “Powerful” from Empire |
Estelle | Featured on the track “Conqueror” from Empire |
Swizz Beatz | Collaborated on “Catch Your Eye” from Sum of My Music |
Jussie Smollett Controversial Moments
Incident | Details |
2019 Hate Crime Hoax | Falsely reported a hate crime, later found to be staged |
DUI Arrest | Arrested for DUI in 2007, providing false identity to police |
Jussie Smollett Community Work
Community Activity | Details |
Community Service | Performed community service as part of his 2019 legal deal |
LGBTQ+ Advocacy | Advocates for greater representation and rights for LGBTQ+ individuals |
Jussie Smollett Net Worth
Jussie Smollett is an American actor, singer, and photographer who has a net worth of $300 thousand.
Jussie Smollett Summary
Jussie Smollett is an American actor and singer, known for his role as Jamal Lyon in the TV series Empire. He faced legal controversies after staging a 2019 hate crime, which led to criminal charges and later a conviction. Despite initial charges being dropped, Smollett was re-indicted and convicted in 2021 for filing false police reports. His legal battles continued with appeals, ultimately resulting in the Illinois Supreme Court overturning his conviction in 2024. Smollett has also pursued music and film directing, with his most recent project being the film B-Boy Blues.
