Jussie Smollett's sister, Jurnee, has broken her silence to speak about the "devastating" effects that her brother's scandal has had on their family. It has been over a year since Jussie was charged for staging a hate crime, and his ongoing legal battle has taken its toll on his family. Jurnee opened up about how she was feeling in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"It's been f--king painful, one of the most painful things my family's ever experienced. To love someone as much as we love my brother, and to watch someone who you love that much go through something like this, that is so public, has been devastating," she said.
"I was already in a very dark space for a number of reasons, and I've tried to not let it make me pessimistic. But everyone who knows me knows that I love my brother and I believe my brother."
The ordeal began when Jussie, who is openly gay, told police he was attacked by two men on Jan. 29 in Chicago. He said the attackers hurled racial and homophobic slurs as they beat him up and placed a noose around his neck, but Chicago police said it was staged, and Jussie was charged with making a false report.
Prosecutors in March dropped the charges. Jussie pleaded not guilty but agreed to let authorities keep a $10,000 bail. Then, in February 2020, Jussie was indicted again.
His sister maintains Jussie is innocent. "We are blessed to have a community of people who know him," she says, "and know that he wouldn't do this."
Special prosecutor Dan Webb said in a statement earlier this year that Jussie faces six counts of disorderly conduct, charges that stem from four separate false reports that he gave to police in which he contended he was a victim of a hate crime "knowing that he was not the victim of a crime."
Jussie maintains his innocence.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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