Jussie Smollett completes a five month rehab program for substance abuse… after appealing his conviction for hate crime hoax kidnapping

Jussie Smollett spent five months in rehab for substance abuse.

The former Empire star, 41, completed the outpatient program earlier this month, according to a source he spoke to TMZ.

During his rehabilitation, the actor is said to have focused on his health and being consistent with his workouts.

Jussie checked himself into an outpatient treatment facility in October after what his representatives called an “extremely difficult past few years.”

Smollett is currently seeking to overturn his December 2021 conviction for faking an anti-gay, racist attack on himself and then lying about it to Chicago police.

A source also told the publication that Jussie’s new management team is working hard to get him ready for the release of his new film and other projects.

A spokesperson for the actor said in a statement when Smollett checked into rehab: “Jussie has had an extremely difficult time over the past few years. He has been quietly working very hard for some time and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps.”

It is unknown what exactly Smollett was in rehab for, but testimony at the trial indicated heavy drug use.

Last month, it was reported that Smollett is again seeking to overturn his conviction for faking an attack – this time claiming he should never have been prosecuted in the first place.

He argues he should not have been charged with disorderly conduct in December 2021 because prosecutors struck a deal to dismiss the first charge.

Smollett’s attorneys filed legal papers with the Illinois Supreme Court detailing the deal, which involved him doing community service and forfeiting his bond in exchange for charges being dropped.

The actor has filed his appeal with the state’s highest court after it was previously denied by the Cook County Court of Appeals.

Smollett was jailed in 2021 for committing an anti-gay, racist hate crime against himself and filing a false police report in January 2019.

“What should have been a simple case was complicated by the intersection of politics and public outcry,” Smollett’s attorneys wrote in their filing with the state Supreme Court.

During the police investigation into the incident, Chicago police concluded that Smollett hired brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to carry out the crime.

Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct, sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months probation and $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.

However, he served only six days in jail before being released on March 16, 2022 when his lawyer filed an appeal.

Now that the Cook County Court of Appeals has denied the appeal, Smollett could be required to serve the remainder of his sentence.

During the original sentencing hearing, Smollett shouted at the judge that he was innocent, warning that he was not suicidal and that if he died in custody, it would have been someone else, not himself, who would have taken his life .

Smollett initially told Chicago police that he was approached on a dark street by two masked strangers.

According to his account of the attack, the attackers threw a noose around his neck and poured chemicals on him while shouting racist and homophobic slurs and expressing support for then-President Donald Trump.

The two attackers were Nigerian brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, who are black.

The brothers, who testified in court, told the jury that Smollett hired them to fake the attack because he wanted to boost his celebrity profile.

Smollett later claimed that in the days before the stunt, when prosecutors said he and the brothers were rehearsing the attack, they actually got together to smoke marijuana.

He shocked the court by claiming he ‘kissed’ and ‘masturbated’ with Abimbola Osundairo during a visit to a bathhouse.

The actor told the jury he thought the brothers staged the attack on him to scare him into thinking he needed bodyguards and give them the job.

The brothers were held in a Cook County detention cell for 47 hours before cracking and admitting for the first time to taking part in Smollett’s strange plot – which they said the actor designed with the ultimate goal of not only appearing as a hero being seen. the LGBTQ community, but also for black people.

In the aftermath, the brothers said they were stunned by Smollett’s public comments about the experience.

The two brothers eventually testified against their former friend in court and were able to walk away from the incident with just two years’ probation and a small fine, after cooperating with police and unmasking the ruse.

In March 2022, three months after a jury found him guilty of disorderly conduct, a judge sentenced the actor to 150 days in jail.

Smollett was six days into his sentence when an appeals court ordered his release from custody pending an appeal of his conviction and sentence.

The Osundairo brothers have since filed a defamation lawsuit, claiming that Smollett’s comments were part of an attempt to portray them as racist, homophobic and violent men who actually attacked him.