After less than a week behind bars, Jussie Smollett was released from jail Wednesday.
The release comes after an appeals court, in a two-one decision, agreed that the former Empire star should be released on bond pending the appeal of his conviction for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack.
Smollett’s attorneys had argued that he would have finished the sentence by the time the appeal process was completed and that Smollett could be in danger of physical harm if he remained locked up in Chicago’s Cook County Jail.
Smollett was released on a personal recognizance bond of $150,000, which did not require him to put any money down if he agrees to attend court as required.
The actor’s attorneys said Smollett broke down when they gave him the news he’d be freed. “He pushed his hands on the glass and he was, his eyes got teary and I’ve never seen that, because he’s been very strong in there,” said attorney Nenye Uche. “And he said, ‘I nearly lost hope in our constitutional system.'”
Last week, Smollett was sentenced to 30 months of probation for lying to police about staging a hate crime attack against himself in Chicago in January 2019, with the first 150 days of the sentence to be spent in Cook County Jail. He spend a total of six nights in jail before his release.
A jury convicted Smollett in December on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, the charge filed when a person lies to police. He was acquitted on a sixth count.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
“He really is a superhero”: Jeremy Renner’s ‘Kingstown’ co-star Michael Beach on star’s near-fatal accident
April 25, 2024
Dennis P. Mong Jr./Paramount + © 2022 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.As reported…
Watch her dance the charts: Dua Lipa makes history with top three spots
April 25, 2024
Tyrone LebonDua Lipa may have said that her new album, Radical Optimism, is a departure from her…
Artists mentioned by Taylor Swift get streaming boosts — but should Charlie Puth’s be bigger?
April 25, 2024
Beth GarrabrantAfter Taylor Swift mentioned a bar called The Black Dog in her new song of the same…
Music notes: Selena Gomez, Charlie Puth and more
April 24, 2024
Selena Gomez spoke about her cosmetics brand Rare Beauty while at the annual TIME100 Summit in New…
Fans think Beyoncé may perform at Stagecoach Festival
April 24, 2024
Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadioStagecoach Festival will be taking place April…
Lauv releases new song and video for “Potential,” his first song “about a boy”
April 24, 2024
Daniel PrakopcykLauv's first new song and video of 2024, "Potential," shows him coming to terms…
“It hurt”: Ben Stiller talks the negative and positive effects of ‘Zoolander 2’ tanking
April 24, 2024
Pablo Cuadra/FilmMagicIn the forthcoming May 7 episode of David Duchovny’s Fail Better podcast, Ben…
Tina Fey, Steve Carell to reunite for Netflix comedy series ‘Four Seasons’
April 24, 2024
Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty ImagesDate Night co-stars Tina Fey and Steve Carell will…