One year after the Jussie Smollett saga
Today marks the one year anniversary in which Jussie Smollett reported that he was a victim of a hate crime in downtown Chicago. Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct for filing a false report after allegedly staging the attack against himself. He then turned himself in. He was indicted by a grand jury on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report. All criminal charges against Smollett were dropped which sparked outrage. The outrage being the City of Chicago filing a lawsuit against Jussie Smollett, a defamation lawsuit by the Osundairo brothers, an FBI investigation as to why the case was dropped, and Cook County State Attorney's office to be under fire that launched a special prosecutor's investigation onto the case.
What has happened since then?
Jussie Smollett is still fighting with the City of Chicago. Back in December 2019, an Illinois judge ordered Google to turn over 12 months worth of data of Jussie Smollett's personal electronic data which includes search history, geolocation, and photographs from the date of November 2018 to November 2019. The search warrant that was issued by the judge is in regards to the special prosecutor's investigation which is investigating the handling of Smollett's case.
Kim Foxx, the Cook County's State Attorney, who handled Jussie Smollet's case is running for re-election this year. She received the endorsement of Democratic Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren. However, her handling of the Jussie Smollett case has been fodder for opponents. Foxx refuses to talk about her handling of the case because she believes it would undermine the special prosecutor's investigation. The other issue in which she is receiving a lot of heat is bail reform.
. @KimFoxxForSA is a seasoned advocate and a champion invested in rethinking the county’s approach to criminal justice reform. I’m confident that when reelected, she'll continue to be an effective public servant who leads with compassion, and I'm proud to endorse her! pic.twitter.com/M9yk8r44qJ
- Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) January 28, 2020
Eddie Johnson, Chicago police Superintendent, has been dismissed from his job as the top cop of Chicago by Mayor Lori Lightfoot. He was relieved of his position due to ethical problems such as being found sleeping in his vehicle drunk and being caught in an affair. Jussie Smollett wanted reports from Eddie Johnson's investigation that relieved from his position to be used in his case against the City of Chicago.
Rahm Emanuel who was the Mayor of Chicago during the event has since moved on from his position. He now works as an ABC News contributor. The current mayor of Chicago is Lori Lightfoot still refuses to talk in regards to the Smollett case.
What has happened to Jussie Smollett's career?
He is no longer part of the cast of Empire which is currently airing its final season. He has moved out of Chicago. He has not posted on his Twitter account since January 28, 2019. He now posts sporadically on his Instagram. His acting and music career looks to have stalled.
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