Disgraced “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett ended his nine-month moratorium from social media to announce that he’s on “quarantine day 421.” It was an obvious reference to the alleged attack on him in January 2019 in Chicago that sent his life and career spiraling into ruin.
Smollett, 37, posted along with a video of himself singing Stevie Wonder’s “A Place in the Sun” that received more than 130,000 views in its first hour alone. The song is about sustaining optimism and hope for the future in the face of trials and tribulations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KT6GtHtlo/
Smollett pleaded not guilty in February to a new round of indictments for allegedly staging a homophobic and racist attack on himself in January 2019.
The actor has already endured a yearlong nationwide condemnation for the alleged false attack. Smollett was fired by Fox from the hit series “Empire,” and his career seems to be over — at least temporarily. He was originally charged with 16 felony counts last summer, but those charges were dropped by embattled Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
The dropped charges caused such an uproar that a Cook County judge appointed a special prosecutor to review Foxx’s decision to release Smollett in order to detect any irregularities in the case. The special prosecutor then sought and obtained a new set of indictments in February.
Meanwhile, Smollett received some love from celebrities for speaking up after a long absence from social media.
Cynthia Bailey and Porsha Williams of the “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” posted heart emojis: ❤️❤️❤️.
TV personality Bevy Smith told Smollett, “Sang babe,” while Trayvon Martin’s mother Sybrina Fulton wrote, “Love you 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜.”
