Jussie Smollett releases song declaring his innocence after release from jail
Jussie Smollett has released a new song titled “Thank You God” in the wake of his conviction and subsequent release from jail for a hate crime hoax. (Getty/Roy Rochlin)
Jussie Smollett has dropped a new song claiming his innocence just weeks after he was released from jail.
The former Empire star is currently on release from jail while appealing his conviction for staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019.
He only served six days of his 150-day sentence before he was released in March.
Smollett shared a snippet of a new song titled “Thank You God” to his Instagram page over the weekend, in which he addresses the case and continues to deny his guilt.
“Y’all better look at someone else,” Smollett sings in the song. “You got the wrong one.”
The lyrics continue: “Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this, this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?”
Smollett also rhymes: “It’s like they’re hell-bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides.”
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According to Smollett’s Instagram, proceeds from the song will go to non-profit organisations including the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Secure the Bag Safety and the Illinois Innocence Project.
Jussie Smollett said he was the victim of an attack in 2019. He told police two men shouted homophobic and racist slurs while beating him, and that one of the men wrapped a makeshift noose around his neck.
However, it was later discovered that Smollett paid brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, who worked on Empire as extras, to carry out the attack.
In December, a jury found Jussie Smollett guilty of five charges of disorderly conduct.
Smollett has maintained that he is innocent of the charges against him.
At Smollett’s sentencing in March, judge Hames Linn claimed that the actor staged the crime because he “craved the attention” and is a “charlatan pretending to be the victim of a hate crime”.
The judge handed Smollett a 150-day prison sentence, 30 months of probation and $145,000 in fines and restitution.
After the sentencing, Smollett’s legal team launched an appeal, saying his imprisonment was excessive.
An appellate judge ruled the court would allow Smollett to be released from jail on a $150,000 individual bond, Vanity Fair reported. Smollett was later released from the Cook County jail pending the appeal against his conviction, and he was flanked by two of his brothers as well as security guards.
