Jussie Smollett Trial to Begin Monday With Jury Selection

The only Black juror on the panel that convicted Jussie Smollett of lying to Chicago police said he couldn't get past what the actor did not do after he claimed attackers looped a noose around his neck: Rip it off and keep it off. If others saw the noose as Smollett's clumsy effort to portray his attackers as racist, Andre Hope saw much more.

"Saturday Night Live" addressed the trial and subsequent verdict in the Jussie Smollett trial during its "Weekend Update" segment this week.  Co-hosts Colin Jost and Michael Che reconvened after taking last week off to discuss the top headlines of the day, which meant that the high-profile case in Chicago was simply impossible to ignore.The former "Empire" actor was found guilty on five of six counts that he lied to police and staged a hoax hate crime against himself in January of 2019.  "On

Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown substance" on him.

Jussie Smollett has been found guilty.On Thursday, the jury ruled that he was guilty on five of the six counts of disorderly conduct for which he was charged.He faces up to three years in prison, and will be sentenced at a later date, which has not yet been determined.Smollett was convicted on five counts related to giving a false report to police on the day of the attack.

A Chicago jury has just found Jussie Smollett guilty today on five felony charges, including lying to the police about the alleged hate crime attack on the former Empire actor in early 2019. Smollett was found innocent of making a false police report in the days after the so-called assault that he was the victim of an aggravated battery

A Chicago jury has just found Jussie Smollett guilty today on five felony charges, including lying to the police about the alleged hate crime attack on the former Empire actor in early 2019.

The jury in Jussie Smollett’s trial started deliberating Wednesday, after a prosecutor said there is “overwhelming evidence” that the former “Empire” actor lied to police about being the victim of an anti-gay, racist attack and his defence attorney said the charges are based on lies.

Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown substance" on him.

With the defense and the prosecution resting their respective cases earlier this week, closing arguments are set to begin Wednesday morning in the case against former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett.  Smollett, who is Black and gay, is accused of staging a racist, homophobic hate crime against himself in downtown Chicago in January 2019.

CHICAGO -- Closing arguments are scheduled for Wednesday morning in the case against former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who is accused of staging a racist, anti-gay attack against himself in downtown Chicago to get publicity.The jury is then expected to begin deliberating whether Smollett is guilty on six counts of a low-level felony for lying to Chicago police about the January 2019 attack.Taking the witness stand earlier this week, Smollett repeatedly denied the attack was a fake, telling

Outside the courtroom where former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett is fighting charges accusing him of lying to Chicago police about being the victim of an anti-gay, racist attack, his publicist has introduced a roster of supporters to the assembled TV cameras. Renowned opera singer Lauren Michelle, who also appeared on "Empire," spoke of how one of her best friends from high school has maintained his humanity despite the attacks on his character.

The Associated Press.In January 2019, Smollett told Chicago police he was assaulted late at night by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs, wearing pro-Donald Trump apparel, leaving him with a noose around his neck.

Jussie Smollett took the stand at his trial on Monday to tell jurors his side of the story about a 2019 attack that police and prosecutors say was a hoax he orchestrated, but that his defense team insists was real.Legal experts are divided on whether Smollett’s testimony in his own defense could help or hurt his case.Smollett faces six counts of disorderly conduct, accused of staging a fake hate crime attack against himself, and then lying to police about it.Smollett, who is Black and gay, had

Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown substance" on him.

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Jussie Smollett paid them to pull off a fake attack took the stand on Wednesday. Smollett, 39, faces six counts of disorderly conduct and is accused of lying to police about the 2019 incident.Smollett, who is Black and openly gay, told Chicago police that he was attacked by two masked men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs in January 2019, authorities said.

Jussie Smollett tells police he was attacked by two men in downtown Chicago at 2 a.m. The actor says the men used racist and homophobic slurs, wrapped a rope around his neck and poured an "unknown substance" on him.

Former Empire star Jussie Smollett will soon stand trial over claims that he lied about being the victim of a homophobic attack in Chicago in 2019.Jury selection started this week in Chicago, CNN reports, after the gay actor was charged last year with making false reports to police.Smollett has repeatedly insisted that he is innocent, after telling authorities that he was attacked in Chicago by two men yelling racist and homophobic slurs in the early morning of January 29, 2019.Smollett said the

The opening day of former Empire star Jussie Smollett’s felony trial in Chicago was long and painted two very different portraits of what actually went down in January 2019.