Jussie Smollett’s five counts of disorderly conduct would result in prison time. According to experts, the judge would sentence him to probation and require him to carry out community service. Jussie was instead given a sentence of 30 months of felony probation and 150 days in county jail by Cook County Judge James Linn.
Celebrities have blasted the decision and demanded Jussie’s release, including his sister Jurnee. Few deny his culpability; instead, the complaints center on what many see as an unfair sentence for his actions. Jurnee stated on Instagram that Jussie’s imprisonment highlights the fact that Black Americans are more likely than White Americans to serve time in prison.
Where was Jussie Smollett born? Ethnicity, Nationality, Family, Education
Jussie’s mother encouraged her kids’ passion for activism and performing. Janet and Joel Smollett welcomed Jussie into the world on June 21, 1982, in Santa Rosa, California. He grew up with Jake, Jacqui, Jojo, Jurnee, and Jazz as well as three brothers and two sisters.
Joel was a Russian-Polish Jew who disliked being called “white,” and Janet is African-American. Because of their shared enthusiasm for live performing, Jussie and his siblings developed a strong bond. Songs and dance were used by the children to celebrate significant occasions, and poetry readings and dancing competitions frequently took place in their homes.
According to Jussie,
“creating was something that we just were required to do.” And I can’t think of a time when I didn’t want to do it.
Jussie told Jussie Smollett News,
“We’re a tight family, a functioning family, instead of dysfunctional – unlike the Lyons.
While the children pursued performing careers in New York and Los Angeles, Janet relocated with them throughout the nation.
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When her kids were cast as orphaned siblings left on their own in the movie On Our Own, Janet encouraged them. According to Jussie’s interview with Out Magazine, Janet also prevented the kids from trying out for various roles:
“NBC was contacted by my older sister Jazz, who said, “I want to portray Rudy [Huxtable’s] pal. My mother refused. She resembles both Cookie Lyon and Maria from The Sound of Music, though. We were being trained while she was shouting no.
According to Jussie and Jurnee, the children saw themselves as a hybrid of the von Trapp family and the Huxtables and Swiss Family Robinson. The abilities of her children were nurtured by Janet, who made them into the well-known performers they are today.
Through her involvement in the civil rights struggle, she inspired them to become activists and benefactors as well. Joel and Janet first connected during a Bay area civil rights protest. To The New York Times, Jussie said:
“Julian Bond was one of my mother’s early mentors, and she was active in the movement alongside Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. She still considers Angela Davis to be one of her closest pals. Mother’s Day was spent with Angela.
When Jussie was a child, Joel wasn’t always present, but he had a profound influence on Jussie. According to the disgraced actor, Jussie and his siblings were raised as “Blewish,” a mix of Black and Jewish people.
“We served bagels with pig hot links.”
Jussie spoke with Jussie Smollett News. “This is not kosher! That’s what Blewish people do, after all! Jewish and black. What we do is that.
Despite Joel’s extended absences from their life, Jewish culture had an impact on the kids. Jussie remarked to Out Magazine:
“My father wasn’t perfect, but he was open to growing and improving, so I had him before he passed away. He wasn’t always there for me throughout my upbringing the way I would have liked.
He stated,
Jussie had a harder time getting in touch with Joel because Janet and Joel were divorced when Jussie was 15 years old. Later in life, the father and son combo reconciled and made up for a lost time. I’m thankful that I had him in those final years.
On January 7, 2015, the day Empire debuted on Fox, Joel passed away.
Jussie remarked to Out Magazine:
It was terrible that he went away that morning. I was, however, forced to be grounded. I wasn’t going to change now since I was so firmly planted in love and family when it all happened.
As he struggled to deal with the celebrity that Empire brought, Jussie told the publication that he wished he could rely on Joel. Joel, a dedicated cable splicer, would have likely offered to be Jussie’s protection, according to Smollett.
Jussie recalled that he would say,
“Man, I’m going to go grab a security guard outfit and follow you.” Then I said, “You’re 5 foot 7,” You won’t be doing anything, so relax.
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