ACTRESS Taraji P. Henson is calling for her former Empire co-star Jussie Smollet to be released from prison. The actress who played his mother in the cult TV series, claimed on Instagram that the sentence was too heavy.
“I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime,” Henson wrote. Along with her message, the actress accompanied the post with the hashtag #FreeJussie.
Henson even compared his situation to the tragic case of Emmett Till. A 14-year-old African American boy, Till was murdered in 1955 after being falsely accused of harassing a white woman.
“Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false,” she wrote.
Henson went on: “No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal. He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING!”
Having said that, the Oscar-nominated actress did suggest an alternative punishment for her former onscreen son.
“To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough. He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artiste who loves to create, that is prison.
My prayer is that he is freed and put on house arrest and probation because in this case that would seem fair. Please #FreeJussie.”
Smollett, who is openly gay, reported to the Chicago police in 2019 that two men harassed him with racist and homophobic slurs, and even attacked him. However, Smollett was eventually found guilty for staging the attack.
In return, he was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation (with the first 150 days to be served in county jail) and a fine of US$120,000 (RM503,350).
Despite the sentence, Smollett has always maintained his innocence.
