Taraji P. Henson Compares Jussie Smollett To Emmett Till

Jussie Smollett is the victim of unjust punishment. Or so says his former Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson who claimed, “the punishment does not fit the crime” the actor was convicted of committing.

On March 10, Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail with 30 months of felony probation after a jury found him guilty of lying to cops about being attacked by trump supporters.

The actress took to Instagram this weekend to plead justice for Jussie Smollett, posting a photo with the hashtag #FreeJussie.

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She wrote, “I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime. Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false.”

Taraji added, “No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal. He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING! To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough. He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artist who loves to create, that is prison.”

Finally, she concluded, “My prayer is that he is freed and put on house arrest and probation because in this case that would seem fair. Please #freejussie.”

Meanwhile, according to TMZ, Jussie Smollett will not be facing federal charges for allegedly faking the infamous hate letter. The feds will not charge him unless there is a significant development in the case.