Jussie Smollett Deserved Every Bit Of Jail Time According To Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days of jail time and 30 months probation for staging a fake hate crime on Thursday.

Back in December, the “Empire” star was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct for lying to police about a racist and homophobic attack he staged on himself in Chicago in January 2019.

Jussie Smollett faced up to three years in prison for each charge but did not receive maximum sentencing on Thursday due to his lack of previous criminal record.

Smollett must pay $120,106 in restitution and a $25,000 fine along with the jail time.

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When the sentence was handed down, Jussie repeatedly said that he was “not suicidal” and “was innocent.” Video footage from the hearing also shows him telling the judge, “Your honor, I respect you, and I respect the jury, but I did not do this, and I am not suicidal, and if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, you must all know that.”

Special prosecutor Dan Webb recommended prison time, accusing Smollett of “knowingly” denigrating “true hate crimes” and refusing to show “a single act of contrition.”

Defense lawyer Nenye Uche called Webb’s recommendations “overkill, beating a dead horse” and described them as “retribution” instead of justice.

However, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot disagreed and scolded Jussie after his courtroom antics. According to Mayor Lightfoot, Jussie got precisely what he deserved. 

NEW: Statement from @chicagosmayor:

"The criminal conviction of Jussie Smollett by a jury of his peers and today’s sentencing should send a clear message to everyone in the City of Chicago that false claims and allegations will not be tolerated." pic.twitter.com/Kba4XUThC3

— Ryan Johnson (@Ryan_Johnson) March 11, 2022

The 39-year-old’s legal team plan to appeal the sentence.