He has three brothers and two sisters: Jake, Jocqui, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jazz, several of whom are also actors. Jussie Smollett was born in Santa Rosa, California, the son of Joel and Janet (née Harris) Smollett. He has since been released on bond while his case is on appeal.
In December 2021, Smollett was convicted of five felony counts of disorderly conduct he was sentenced in March 2022 to 150 days in county jail. In January 2019, Smollett staged a fake hate crime against himself in Chicago and later made false police reports regarding the incident. Smollett has also appeared in Ridley Scott's science fiction film Alien: Covenant (2017) as Ricks and in Marshall (2017) as Langston Hughes. In 2015, Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire, a role that was hailed as groundbreaking for its positive depiction of a Black gay man on television. He began his career as a child actor in 1991, acting in films such as The Mighty Ducks (1992) and Rob Reiner's North (1994). Jussie Smollett ( / ˈ dʒ ʌ s i s m ə l ˈ ɛ t/, born June 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer.
