Jussie Smollett donates to Chicago charity in city settlement
Actor Jussie Smollett made a $50,000 payment to a local Chicago charity to settle the city’s lawsuit against him, according to a Friday statement.
The legal battle stemmed from Smollett’s false police report in 2019 claiming he had been the victim of a hate crime.
“I've made a $50,000.00 donation to Building Brighter Futures (BBF) Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self-expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth,” Smollett said in a statement to The Hill.
“This organization was of my choosing and I'm comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience,” he added.
The actor, who is Black and gay, previously alleged that two men jeered at him before pouring bleach onto his body and tying a rope around his neck on Jan. 29, 2019.
The city said it spent at least $130,000 on overtime pay for investigators to research the reported incident before discovering Smollett had paid the two men $3,500 to carry out the attack.
In his Friday statement, Smollett still claims he did not fabricate the assault allegations.
“Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, [city] officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,” Smollett wrote.
“These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear ... They have received neither,” he added.
The actor said he was thankful to have the “resources” to defend himself and committed to donating an additional $10,000 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center, which seeks to address police violence in the city.
Smollett's original charges for the crime were dropped after the former Cook County state attorney was accused of unethical interference in the case.
The actor was prosecuted for a second time in 2021 and convicted on five of six counts, leading to a 150-day jail sentence and 30 months of probation.
Smollett was detained for six days but was later vindicated by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2024, citing his previous agreement with Kim Foxx, the then-Cook County state attorney.
“Though I was exonerated by the Illinois Supreme Court in a unanimous decision and the civil case is now dismissed, I'm aware that it will not change everyone's mind about me or the attack I experienced,” Smollett said Friday.
“However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent both in the eyes of God and of our criminal justice system," he added. "What I have to do now is move forward.”