Thursday, March 28, 2024

Jussie Smollett Confidently Arrives to Court for Hearing & Pleads Not Guilty – WATCH

*Jussie Smollett was back in court in Chicago this morning (03-14-19) and we have to say he looked like he has everything under control as he was strutting in.

Thursday morning the “Empire” star – like he did on Tuesday – held his head high – and showed the world he’s ready to deal with his situation.

Here’s what went down in court: Smollett pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment against him. He was advised he needs to be at every court date going forward, and is set to be back in court in mid-April.

On the other hand, he’ll be allowed to travel to LA and NY for meetings with his lawyers. However, he has to notify the court 48 hours in advance before going to either location, and also needs to check back in within 24 hours when he returns to Chicago.

jussie smollett - arriving at court (03-14-19) - screenshot

Here’s more via TMZ:

As wereported … a grand jury handed down the whopping 16-count indictment last week nearly two weeks after Jussie was arrested and booked for allegedly filing a false police report. Jussie’s attorney, Mark Geragos, called the indictment “overkill.”

Regardless of how Jussie pleads … he may very well have more than his own fate in his hands. Folks working on “Empire” feel like the future of the show will very much be tied to how things shake out for him in court, and could possibly torpedo the series at large.

jussie smollett - empire (via TMZ)

In related news …

The midseason premiere for “Empire” went down Wednesday night and it was the show’s first new episode since the  drama surrounding Smollett popped off over the past six weeks.

While there has been a lot of speculation regarding Smollett’s future on the show — as “Empire’s” own future is now shrouded in mystery and facing rumors of cancellation — several episodes of the second half of Season 5 were already in the can when Smollett was allegedly involved in an attack on Jan. 29.

That means that  Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, also made his return to TV, in an emotional Spring premiere that saw Jamal break down in tears, give up on love and sing a hopeful new song (which, in the light of his legal troubles, now feels sadly ironic).

While Jamal doesn’t have a whole lot of scenes in this drama-packed premiere, he does get some of the episode’s most emotional scenes, and they all focus on his troubled relationship with fiance Kai Givens.

If you want to know more, click over to ET for the scoop.

 

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