Several celebs are celebrating Jussie Smollett‘s legal win.
As we reported on Tuesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all charges against the Empire star, who had been accused of allegedly orchestrating his January Chicago attack.
Related: Twitter Is FURIOUS Over Jussie Smollett’s Charges Being Dropped!
After the decision went viral, stars — including director Ava DuVernay who has stood by the actor’s side amid his allegations — applauded the news.
As seen on Twitter:
On Tuesday, the state’s attorney’s office said in a statement:
“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.”
Reportedly, Smollett performed a total of 16 hours of volunteer service on Saturday and Monday for the Rainbow Push Coalition, which was founded by the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
After briefly appearing in a courtroom where his charges were formally dropped, Jussie told reporters:
“I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one… I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I’ve been accused of… This has been an incredibly difficult time — honestly one of the worst of my entire life… I am a man of faith, and I am a man that has knowledge of my history, and I would not bring my family, our lives, or the movement through a fire like this, I just wouldn’t… I want to thank my family, my friends, the incredible people of Chicago and all over the country and the world who have prayed for me, who have supported me,”
However, that same day, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the situation a “whitewash of justice” which “sends a clear message that if you’re in a position of influence and power, you’ll get treated one way.”
At a press conference alongside Chicago police superintendent Eddie Johnson, Emanuel said:
“The city saw its reputation dragged through the mud. But I remind everybody it was not just the officers’ work. That work, a piece of that work, was shown to a grand jury and they made a decision based on only a sliver of the evidence. If I remember correctly, somebody wanted to have evidence and, as the superintendent said, their day in court so all of the evidence could be made public. Because of the judge’s decision, none of that evidence will ever be made public. None of it. This is without of doubt a whitewash of justice and sends a clear message that if you’re in a position of influence and power, you’ll get treated one way, other people will be treated another way. There is no accountability in the system. It is wrong, full stop.”
According to TMZ, Smollett will have to surrender his $10,000 bond.
[Image via Nicky Nelson/WENN.]