Jussie Smollett Arrested – Staged Attack Because He Was Dissatisfied W/ Salary, May Be Suspended From ‘Empire’ [Mugshot]
Jussie Smollett Arrested – Staged Attack Because He Was Dissatisfied W/ Salary, May Be Suspended From ‘Empire’ [Mug Shot]
Following confirmation from Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi, Jussie Smollett has been charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, a class four felony. The 36-year-old actor has now been placed in police custody and expected to appear for a bond hearing on Thursday (Feb. 21) at 1:30 PM CT.
Jussie Smollett is under arrest and in custody of detectives. At 9am at #ChicagoPolice Headquarters, Supt Eddie Johnson, Commander of Area Central Detectives Edward Wodnicki will brief reporters on the investigation prior to the defendants appearance in court.
While the class four felony carries a potential sentence of one to three years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines, Smollett will also have to answer to FOX at some point, as well. According to new reports, producers of the “Empire” series are juggling the idea of suspending the actor following the charge.
He was scheduled to be on the Chicago set Thursday, and according to a production source, as of Wednesday night there were no plans to change the show’s shooting schedule. Producers of the series have declined to release a statement surrounding the possible suspension.
Throughout this ordeal, FOX has offered encouraging statements of support. Specifically, when it was suspected and alleged Smollett had orchestrated this attack because there was speculation he was being written off the hit FOX show. The network responded and stated:
Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show.
Thursday morning, the Chicago police department held a press conference.
Police claim that Jussie staged his attack, as he was dissatisfied with his ‘Empire’ salary. They also claim he allegedly paid the two men $3,500 for the attack.