Jussie Smollett Enters Rehab After 'Extremely Difficult Past Few Years'
Jussie Smollett is said to be making efforts towards rebuilding his life following a challenging period of public incidents.
According to TMZ, the “Empire” star recently checked into an outpatient rehab facility.
“Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps,” a rep for the 41-year-old star.
Although details about what triggered the decision have not been made public, the Osundairo brothers — Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo —who were connected to the case, claimed they provided “The Skinny” actor with various illegal drugs.
Smollett’s problems began following his highly publicized Jan. 29, 2019 incident in which he claimed to be a victim of an alleged racist and homophobic attack while in Chicago.
The singer, who identifies as a gay man, alleged that masked men yelled racist and
homophobic slurs at him, and they also put a rope around his neck and doused him with bleach.
However, in March 2022, the actor was ultimately found guilty of lying to the police. Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in county jail, only six of which he served after lawyers appealed the conviction.
He was also ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution for the overtime spent by Chicago police officers investigating his false reports. The star is waiting to see if a three-judge panel of the Illinois Appeals Court will uphold that decision.
