Jussie Smollett

Actor

Reported a racist, homophobic attack by Trump supporters that trial evidence showed he staged and paid for. A jury convicted him of filing a false police report; the Illinois Supreme Court later vacated the conviction on due-process grounds — not for lack of evidence.

1 receipt on file · Last reviewed 2026-08-03

RECEIPT_01 · 2019-01 Criminal conviction

The claim

Two attackers assaulted him in Chicago shouting racist slurs and Trump slogans, in a “MAGA” hate crime.

Made in: Police report and national media appearances

The proof

At trial, evidence showed Smollett paid two brothers to stage the attack and reported it himself. In March 2022 a jury convicted him on five counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report.

The record

People v. Smollett — Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

Outcome: Convicted on five counts of disorderly conduct (March 2022); sentenced to 150 days in jail

A jury or judge found fraud or false statements proven beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

In November 2024 the Illinois Supreme Court vacated the conviction on due-process grounds — prosecutors had previously agreed not to pursue charges in exchange for forfeiting his bond, and then prosecuted him anyway. The court did not dispute the trial evidence that the attack was staged. The receipt is kept, with the reversal stated, because hiding it would be the dishonest move.

Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax — trial record ↗

What this file is

This dossier collects contradictions established in legal records. It is not a verdict on everything Jussie Smollett has ever said, and it does not assert intent. Where outcomes have changed on appeal or review, the receipt says so.