Jussie Smollett is returning to Fox for the first time since his 2019 departure from Empire following the highly publicized controversy over an allegedly staged hate crime. The 43-year-old actor and singer will compete in Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test, premiering September 25, alongside 17 other celebrities including NFL stars, reality TV personalities, and Olympians.
Smollett’s exit from Empire came after he was accused of orchestrating a fake attack in Chicago in 2019. Prosecutors claimed he staged the incident over dissatisfaction with his salary and the studio’s handling of hate mail. He was convicted on five felony counts of disorderly conduct, sentenced to 150 days in jail, and fined $130,000, but served only six days before being released pending appeal. In 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction, ruling he should not have been recharged after his initial case was dropped under a prior agreement.
His return to TV comes just weeks after Netflix’s The Truth About Jussie Smollett?—premiering August 22—promises to re-examine the case with new interviews, evidence, and Smollett’s own account, leaving viewers to decide what really happened.
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