Latest news with #TheLostHolliday
Forbes
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Jussie Smollett Returns To Fox For ‘Special Forces' Reality Show
Actor Jussie Smollett, who has seldom been seen on screen since he was accused of staging a hate crime in 2019, will star in the new season of Fox's 'Special Forces: World's Toughest Test,' marking his return to the network following his rise to fame on the drama series 'Empire.' Jussie Smollett will star on the Fox reality series, "Special Forces." (Photo by) Getty Images Smollett is one of 18 celebrities who will star on season four of 'Special Forces,' a reality competition show in which participants face difficult challenges resembling actual military training. The series premieres on Sept. 25 and will be Smollett's first gig on Fox since 'Empire' wrapped up in 2020 at the height of controversy over Smollett's allegedly staged hate crime. Smollett has seldom worked in film or television since the fallout over the alleged hate crime incident: He directed two independent films, 'B-Boy Blues' (2021) and 'The Lost Holliday' (2024), which were backed by his own production company but were not widely seen. Smollett, who rose to fame starring on 'Empire' between 2015 and 2020, claimed in January 2019 he was the victim of a hate crime and told police two men physically attacked him, poured an unknown liquid on him and called him racial and homophobic slurs. Smollett quickly garnered an outpouring of support from politicians and fellow celebrities, but following a police investigation, Smollett was charged in February 2019 with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Charges were dropped the next month in exchange for Smollett completing community service. But in 2020, following another investigation, a special prosecutor charged Smollett again for disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. He faced trial and was found guilty on five of six counts, and in 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in jail and fined. Smollett served six days in jail and was released after his lawyers filed an appeal, arguing he shouldn't have been charged again after the initial charges were dropped. In November, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Smollett's conviction. What To Watch For A documentary purporting to have 'new evidence' about Smollett's case will premiere on Netflix later this month. Netflix announced 'The Truth About Jussie Smollett?' in July, which it says will investigate the 'shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story.' The documentary is produced by RAW TV, the company behind popular Netflix documentaries 'Don't F**k with Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer' and 'The Tinder Swindler.' The upcoming fourth season of 'Special Forces' will also feature 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star Teresa Giudice and her daughter Gia, Olympic athletes Shawn Johnson East and Christie Pearce Rampone, Bravo star Brittany Cartwright and social media celebrity Brianna LaPaglia. Further Reading Actor Jussie Smollett's Hate Crime Hoax Conviction Tossed Out (Forbes) Netflix Sets Jussie Smollett Documentary With 'New Evidence': Alleged Hate Crime Hoax 'Might Just Be a True Story' (Variety)
USA Today
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Jussie Smollett reveals he's engaged to actor Jabari Redd: 'He said YES'
Jussie Smollett celebrated his birthday as an engaged man. The former "Empire" star, 43, revealed in an Instagram post that he is engaged to actor Jabari Redd. Smollett shared a gallery of photos showing himself down on one knee and presenting a ring to Redd, who looked elated. "I'll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé … He said YES. 💍," Smollett, who turned 43 on Saturday, June 21, wrote in the caption. Redd has appeared on shows like Showtime's "The Chi" and starred in "The Lost Holliday," a 2024 film directed by and starring Smollett. Smollett's sister Jurnee Smollett celebrated his engagement in the comments of the Instagram post, writing that she was "screaming with tears of joy!" She added that "my whole heart loves both of you" and welcomed Redd "to the family." Smollett's sister Jazz Smollett also commented, "Yaaaass!!! Welcome to the family Jabari!!! Love y'all!! Sooooo happy for you both." Jussie Smollett conviction in hate crime hoax overturned by Illinois Supreme Court The engagement news comes more than six years after Smollett was accused of staging a fake hate crime against himself in 2019. He claimed at the time that he was attacked by men who yelled homophobic slurs at him in Chicago. Jussie Smollett says he has 'to move forward' after alleged hate crime hoax Smollett was charged with lying to police about the attack, and he was convicted of felony disorderly conduct in 2021. But in November 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction, determining that he should not have been charged a second time for the same incident after charges against him were initially dropped in 2019. Smollett has repeatedly denied staging the hate crime and has maintained that the attack was real. Smollett reached a civil settlement with the city of Chicago earlier this year, according to NBC News. In a statement released on Instagram, the actor said he would pay $50,000 to a local nonprofit. "What I have to do now is move forward," he said. "I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth." Smollett previously told People magazine in an interview in September 2024, "I've moved on and I know that the world, one day, and it might be long after I'm gone, who knows, but one day the world is going to fix this. I just can't wait for that to happen because I have a life to live. But the world is going to fix it all."
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jussie Smollett settles with city of Chicago 6 years after alleged hate crime hoax
More than six years after actor Jussie Smollett said he was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago that he was later accused of staging, the actor has reached a settlement with the city. Both parties have advised the court that they have settled but "need more time to finalize documentation," according to a court document filed Monday and obtained by Entertainment Weekly. Reps for Smollett said any comment on the matter would be "premature." City officials did not respond to EW's request for comment. The city of Chicago filed a lawsuit in 2019 against the Empire star, alleging he cost investigators $130,000. That January, the actor claimed that he had been attacked by two men he didn't know using racist and homophobic slurs as they threw a rope around his neck and poured a substance on him. (Smollett, who is Black, came out as gay in 2015, after playing a gay character on the Fox series.) He also claimed the assailants shouted "MAGA" at him in a nod to Donald Trump, who was serving his first term as president. Initially, the Mighty Ducks actor was hospitalized and the incident was investigated as a hate crime. The Chicago Police Department found evidence, though, that Smollett was working in cooperation with the alleged attackers and that he had paid them. Smollett denied the accusations and filed a countersuit against the city, but he was indicted by a grand jury on 16 felony charges. Those charges were later dropped, after Smollett's team made a deal with prosecutors. However, the case against him was then executed by a special prosecutor, and this time he was appealed that decision, and the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that he should not have been tried a second time. The next status hearing, according to the document, is May 29. Since the saga began, Smollett lost his role on Empire, which ended in 2020, and has acted in one other project, 2024's The Lost Holliday, which he also wrote and directed, alongside a cast including Vivica A. Fox and The Office alum Leslie David Baker. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
