Ironically, this time last year, the name Jussie Smollett meant little outside TV press junket and Empire fan circles. Today, the television actor is one of the most recognisable faces in America but it’s all for the wrong reasons. Smollett has found himself caught up in one of the strangest scandals in recent memory and nobody is quite sure what will happen when the smoke clears and attention wanes. The fact a television actor is embroiled in a high profile controversy is hardly surprising. Audiences have seen it all — drugs, prostitutes, fights, infidelity. Actors are people, after all. They get into trouble just like the rest of us. The only difference is they have to fix their problems with the world watching. The Smollett story, however, is so bizarre, so unbelievable it’s got everybody saying ‘huh?’
Let’s take another look at what happened (or didn’t happen) and figure out whether Jussie Smollett could return to TV screens sooner than we think.
The Curious Case of Jussie Smollett
First things first; Jussie Smollett is (was) a lead actor on television drama Empire. He was respected for his role and admired in fan circles. He wasn’t previously mega famous though. If you don’t watch the show, there’s a good chance you didn’t know about him until very recently — when he was accused of faking a racist, homophobic assault on himself. Yes, you heard it right. Smollett reported an assault to police, claiming he was beaten late at night by two thugs in MAGA hats who placed a noose around his neck and poured a noxious substance on his person. So far, so shocking. Then, Chicago detectives dropped the bombshell of the year. They said Smollett orchestrated the attack on himself and they had proof of this from his so called ‘attackers,’ two men the actor had worked with on Empire.
Cue the start of the strangest story of 2019. Police filed a total of sixteen charges against Smollett and arrested the actor. He claimed it was a miscarriage of justice and denied all allegations he’d faked the assault to raise his profile and further his own career. At this point, it seemed clear where things were heading for the Empire star (it rhymes with mail). Then, there was another twist. The Chicago Police Department has now officially dropped all charges relating to Jussie Smollett and the ‘fake’ attack. But they are refusing to state his innocence and insist the case was a strong one. Unsurprisingly, Smollett is claiming vindication and citing the dropping of charges as clear proof he really was assaulted, and Chicago police decided to ruin his career instead of catching the perpetrators.
The Tricky Matter of Who to Believe
The tricky thing about this case is not being able to take a stand either way. It’s a conundrum that’s been particularly challenging for Smollet’s co-stars and employers. Empire producers were quick to offer emotional support in the wake of the assault. They resisted the temptation to rush to judgement when rumours circulated that all was not as it seemed. But they bowed to pressure after Smollett was formally arrested and removed him from the remaining episodes of the show. The big question now is, will Jussie Smollett be back on Empire and back to his old career? He hasn’t been charged. He’s no criminal. From a legal perspective, there’s no reason he can’t have his old job back.
The chances of it happening, however, seem slim at best. And it’s hard to know why. There’s something unmistakably ‘icky’ about the idea of him returning to TV screens but there’s also no good reason he shouldn’t. Unless the Chicago Police Department or Smollett himself confesses to something — be it fakery or poor investigative work — we’re stuck in a kind of limbo, with both sides obstructing resolution. It’s perhaps the oddest twist of all; the question of why the police decided to drop charges without conceding to Smollet’s innocence. There’s a vague air of, dare we say it, collusion and we’re not the only ones to notice. Even Chicago’s mayor is suspicious. He’s vowed to expose corrupt dealings between the actor and the police department if he finds any evidence of an unlawful buyout.
The truth is, we don’t know what will happen next. However, it’s highly unlikely Jussie Smollett will be able to pick up his career where he left it. Things have changed. Even if he returns to his old job on Empire, the scandal has almost certainly tainted his chances of landing another high profile TV role. Perhaps his best option is to go, cap in hand, back to the character he once thought too small for him and jump right back into those shoes.
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