Actress Jurnee Smollett has voiced support for her brother, Jussie Smollett, after the former “Empire” actor was sentenced to five months in jail for orchestrating a false hate crime narrative, in which he told law enforcement he was attacked by two men who yelled racist and homophobic slurs.

Jurnee Smollett, Jussie’s younger sister, asserted that she believes in her brother’s innocence in an Instagram post that shared on Saturday afternoon. Her statement also argues that the matter of Jussie’s innocence has little to do with whether he should be incarcerated or not.

“Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons at nearly five times the rate of White Americans. Jussie is innocent,” Jurnee Smollett’s post reads. “And… you don’t have to believe in his innocence to believe he should be free.”

Related Stories

Photo illustration of a pixelated Taylor Swift with caution signs on her face VIP+

How Celebrity Reps Are Fighting the Flood of Unauthorized AI Content

LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 01: Christopher Ciccone poses for a portrait while promoting his new book "Life With My Sister Madonna" on August 1, 2008 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Christopher Ciccone, Artist and Brother of Madonna, Dies at 63

Jurnee Smollet’s comments accompany a simple picture of white text on a black background reading “#FreeJussie.” Her caption concludes with the hashtag “#StopLockingUpOurPeople.”

Popular on Variety

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jurnee Smollett (@jurneesmollett)

“Pose” actress Indya Moore also shared her support for Jussie Smollett later Saturday afternoon.

“I believe you and I believe in you to salvage life saving, spiritual wisdoms of abundance, power and truth out of this bafflingly unjust and detrimental challenge. You should not be in jail,” Moore wrote on Instagram. “#FreeJussie”

Jussie Smollett was sentenced to five months in jail on Thursday, along with being ordered to pay $120,000 restitution and a $25,000 fine to the city of Chicago and to serve 30 months of probation.

Upon his sentencing, Smollett stood up and said, “I am innocent and I am not suicidal.” Several of Smollett’s supporters have expressed concern for the actor’s safety if he were sentenced to a jail term, given the notoriety of his case. Smollett has emphatically suggested that if he were found dead in prison, it would not be by his own hand.

Smollett told Chicago police on Jan. 29, 2019, that he was assaulted by men who put a noose around his neck, poured a chemical substance on him and yelled “This is MAGA Country.” The Chicago Police Department committed significant resources to the subsequent investigation, racking up more than 1,000 hours of overtime, before ultimately concluding that Smollett had paid two brothers — Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — $3,500 to stage the attack.

Read More About:

Jump to Comments

More from Variety

Most Popular

Must Read

Sign Up for Variety Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. // This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Variety Confidential

A Variety and iHeartRadio Podcast

ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9nfXN%2Bjp%2BgpaVfo7K4v46jrKumlZp6tLnOpaOerKRit7a%2F0qKcZqudpLmtsdOtZGpqY2p%2FcX%2BPbGdo