Jussie Smollett is now in rehab and undergoing therapy from an outpatient program, according to a statement released to TMZ on Wednesday.
“Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years,” said Smollett’s representative to the celebrity news source. “He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps.”
Jussie Smollett’s stay in treatment comes as he awaits an appeal in his Chicago criminal case from 2019, in which he was found guilty of lying to police about being attacked by two masked Trump supporters, who he then claimed attacked him, tied a noose around his neck, and drenched him in bleach.
Credit – Nuccio DiNuzzo
Jussie Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in prison after the event, but was freed early due to an appeal. In the years since the crisis, Smollett has returned to his work and has begun directing as the legal process has progressed. According to TMZ, he’s been sighted on film shoots, including one with actress Vivica A. Fox.
Jussie Smollett was recently photographed on a hike in Los Angeles with his former Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson, and he attended last year’s BET Awards, which attracted anger from the show’s viewers on social media. In November 2021, Smollett attended the premiere of B-Boy Blues, his directorial debut, in New York City’s AMC Magic Johnson Harlem theater.