Jussie Smollett walked out of a Chicago jail after serving six days and walked into months, if not years, of uncertainty, from what's next for his career to whether he'll eventually be back behind bars.
The former "Empire" star was sentenced last week to 150 days in jail after his conviction for lying to police about being the victim of a racist, anti-gay attack. He was escorted out of the Cook County Jail after an appellate court said Wednesday he could go free during the appeal process.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, has maintained his innocence. His attorneys haven't said what the 39-year-old plans to do next. But publicists say the latest developments may further harm his reputation and career prospects.
Publicist Eric Rose said, “I think he’s actually doing more harm than good” when speaking about Smollett's fighting the conviction and sentence.
“That’s what we call ‘death by 1,000 cuts,’” Rose said. “From a reputation perspective, that is horrible.”
