Jussie Smollett has completed a five-month stint in substance abuse rehab.
The former Empire star, 41, finished the outpatient program earlier this month, according to a source who spoke with TMZ.
While in rehab, the actor is said to have focused on his health and being consistent with his workouts.
Jussie entered an outpatient treatment facility in October after what his representatives called an “extremely difficult last few years.”
Smollett is currently trying to have his December 2021 conviction overturned again for faking a racist attack on gays and then lying to Chicago police about it.
Jussie Smollett, 41, has completed a five-month stint in substance abuse rehab. The former Empire star finished the outpatient program earlier this month, according to TMZ; seen in 2022
Smollett is currently trying to have his December 2021 conviction overturned again for faking a racist anti-gay attack and then lying to Chicago police about it; seen in the 2019 booking photo
A source also told the publication that Jussie’s new management team is hard at work as they prepare for the release of his new movie and other projects.
A spokesperson for the actor said in a statement when Smollett entered rehab: “Jussie has had an extremely difficult last few years. He has been working very hard and quietly for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps.”
It’s not known exactly why Smollett was in rehab, but testimony during the trial suggested heavy drug use.
It was reported last month that Smollett is trying to have his conviction for faking an attack overturned again, this time claiming he should never have been prosecuted in the first place.
He argues that he should not have been charged with felony disorderly conduct in December 2021 because prosecutors reached a deal to dismiss the first indictment.
Smollett’s attorneys filed legal papers with the Illinois Supreme Court detailing the deal, which involved him performing community service and waiving his bond in exchange for the charges being dropped.
The actor will take his appeal to the state’s highest court after the Cook County Court of Appeals previously denied it.
Smollett was jailed in 2021 for organizing a racist anti-gay hate crime and filing a false police report in January 2019.
“What should have been a simple case has been complicated by the intersection of politics and public outrage,” Smollett’s attorneys wrote in their filing to the state’s highest court.
During the police investigation into the incident, Chicago police concluded that Smollett had hired brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to carry out the crime.
While in rehab, the actor is said to have focused on his health and being consistent with his workouts; seen in 2022
Jussie entered an outpatient treatment center in October after what his representatives called “extremely difficult last few years”; seen in 2018
Smollett is trying to have his conviction for faking an attack overturned again, this time claiming he should never have been prosecuted in the first place; seen in court in 2019
He argues that he should not have been charged with felony disorderly conduct in December 2021 because prosecutors reached a deal to dismiss the first indictment; Seen in the Cook County Jail booking photograph in 2022
Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct, sentenced to 150 days in jail, 30 months of felony probation and $120,106 in restitution to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine.
However, he only served six days in jail before being released on March 16, 2022 when his lawyer filed an appeal.
Now, the Cook County Court of Appeals has dismissed the appeal in which Smollett may be required to complete the remainder of his sentence.
During the original sentencing hearing, Smollett screamed at the judge that he was innocent, warning that he was not suicidal and that if he died in custody, it would be someone else, not him, who would have taken his own life.
Smollett initially told Chicago police that two masked strangers had accosted him on a dark street.
According to his account of the attack, the attackers threw a rope around his neck and threw chemicals at him while shouting racist and homophobic insults and expressing their 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 jurors 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 were actually meeting to smoke marijuana.
He shocked the court by claiming he had “kissed” and “masturbated” with Abimbola Osundairo during a visit to a bathhouse.
Smollett was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police about being the victim of a racist and anti-gay attack.
The brothers Abel and Ola Osunadairo (in the photo) were hired by the actor to attack him
The actor told the jury he thought the brothers staged the attack on him to try to scare him into believing he needed bodyguards and give them the job.
The brothers were held in a Cook County holding cell for 47 hours before breaking down and confessing to participating in Smollett’s bizarre plot for the first time, which they said the actor engineered with the ultimate goal of being seen as a hero not only for the LGBTQ community, but also for black people.
The brothers later 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 get out of the incident with only two years of probation and a small fine, after cooperating with the police and unmasking the deception.
In March 2022, three months after a jury found him guilty of felony 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, alleging that Smollett’s comments were part of an effort to portray them as racist, homophobic and violent men who actually attacked him.