Jussie Smollett Trial Jury Selection Has Begun

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Jury selection is underway in the trial of former “Empire” star Jussie Smollett.

Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP / Getty

The actor was allegedly involved in a vicious hate crime attack in 2019 that left him badly bruised and hospitalized. However, months later, Smollett was accused of staging the entire incident after Cook County police could not find sufficient evidence to support his allegations.

The Chicago native’s acting career was heavily tarnished since he was criminally charged for allegedly lying about the attack, ultimately leading to his removal from Fox’s hit series “Empire.” Authorities slammed the star with a felony disorderly conduct charge and claimed that he planned the attack to advance his acting career to secure a higher salary.

USA Today notes, that disorderly conduct carries “a sentence of up to three years in prison.” However, experts close to the case say that Smollet would most likely be placed on probation and ordered to perform community service if he is convicted.

On Jan. 29, 2019, Smollet filed a police report with the city of Chicago claiming that he was violently attacked by two men who began hurling racial and homophobic slurs while he was walking near his Streeterville apartment in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m en route to Subway. The two men allegedly tied a noose around his neck and shouted “This is MAGA Country” during their heated exchange.

The two men, who were later discovered to be brothers, claimed that Smollett had hired them both to pose as his attackers for a fee of $3,500, but the 39-year-old star said he wrote the check to one of the men, who was apparently his personal trainer, to secure training fees. AP News reported. The check will serve as key evidence in the case as the jury begins proceedings.

Smollet has been heavily criticized for allegedly lying about the seemingly staged incident. Some social media fire starters and popular TV shows like Saturday Night Live have even poked fun at the ordeal and we can assure you, social media is already lighting up about the trail too.