Though Jussie Smollett has kept a relatively low profile since his hate crime hoax, it doesn’t mean he’s not out here doing the necessary steps to ensure this next phase of his life doesn’t look like the last.
In fact, per TMZ, the Empire star checked himself into a rehab treatment facility as confirmed by his reps on Wednesday. Though the specific type of rehab place is unknown, the facility was described as an outpatient program.
“Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps,” his reps said.
As previously reported by The Root, in September, the Illinois Appeals Court heard oral arguments by attorneys for Smollett to get his 2021 conviction dismissed. As you may recall, last year, he was sentenced to serve 150 days and 30 months felony probation for staging a fake hate crime and disorderly conduct for lying to the police.
However, less than a week after his sentencing, the Empire star walked out of Cook County jail in Chicago after the Illinois Appellate Court granted a motion for a stay of sentence filed by Smollett’s legal team. The granting of the motion by the Appellate Court judge rationalized the decision based off the fact that “Smollett likely already would have served his jail time sentence before his appeal had gotten very far.”
Since then the actor has popped out at red carpet functions on occasion, the most recent being Atlanta Black Pride Weekend Film Festival, where he screened his directorial debut film, B-Boy Blues.