Jussie Smollett Speaks Out After Reaching Settlement with City of Chicago, Paying $50K to Charity: 'Onward'

Jussie Smollett has agreed to pay a $50,000 charitable donation to settle a years-long legal saga with the city of Chicago, stemming from his allegations he was the victim of a hate crime in 2019.

The former Empire star shared a lengthy statement to Instagram on Friday, May 23, explaining how this resolution came to be, why he chose the charity he donated to and his thoughts on his future now that this chapter is behind him.

“Over six years ago, after it was reported I had been jumped, City Officials in Chicago set out to convince the public that I willfully set an assault against myself. This false narrative has left a stain on my character that will not soon disappear,” he began. “These officials wanted my money and wanted my confession for something I did not do. Today, it should be clear….They have received neither.”

Smollett went on to say the decision to settle the civil lawsuit with the city “was not the most difficult one to make.”

“After repeatedly refusing to pay the City, I was presented with an opportunity to make a charitable donation in exchange for the case being dismissed,” he continued. “Despite what happened there politically, Chicago was my home for over 5 years and the people became my family. Therefore, making a donation to benefit Chicago communities that are too often neglected by those in power will always be something I support.”

Smollett then announced he’d made a $50,000 donation to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, which he described as “a local nonprofit doing incredible work nurturing self expression, creativity and exploration of the arts for Chicago youth.”

“This organization was of my choosing and I’m comforted that there will be at least one winner from this experience,” he added.

Though the convictions against him were overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court in November 2024 and the city’s civil case against him will now be dismissed, Smollett said he’s “aware that it will not change everyone’s mind about me or the attack I experienced.”

“However, despite arduous and expensive attempts to punish me, I am innocent in the eyes of God and our criminal justice system. What I have to do now is move forward,” he continued. “I will continue creating my art, fighting passionately for causes I hold dear and defending my integrity and family name with the truth.”

Smollett then said he was “grateful to have had the resources to defend myself” and acknowledged that “many do not.”

“They are backed into corners to take deals or confess to crimes they did not actually commit,” he explained. “In their honor, I am donating an additional $10,000.00 to the Chicago Torture Justice Center who provides resources to communities healing from the violence and the Chicago Police Department. To anyone who has had to prove they have in fact been violated, you know how difficult this can be to navigate. I stand with and for you.”

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Smollett ended his post with a message of thanks to those who supported him throughout the years.

“Your prayers and belief in me mean more than words can properly express. I will never take it lightly and will never forget,” he concluded. “Onward.”

More than six years ago, Smollett, who identifies as a gay Black man, claimed that on Jan. 29, 2019, he was the victim of a hate crime. He alleged he was attacked by two men late at night on his way to his home in Chicago, claiming the men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him, put a noose around his neck and doused him with bleach.

Following an investigation conducted by law enforcement, prosecutors alleged that Smollett staged the attack to get media attention and paid two brothers, Abimbola “Bola” and Olabinjo “Ola” Osundairo, to help him pull it off.

Smollett was found guilty of five felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing false police reports following a jury trial in 2021. He was sentenced to 150 days in jail in March 2022 as well as hit with a $25,000 fine and ordered to pay more than $120,000 in restitution to the Chicago Police Department. He served six days of his sentence before he was released on bail.

Smollett has maintained his innocence over the years, opening up to PEOPLE in September 2024 — about a month before the Supreme Court of Illinios overturned his conviction — about how he was dealing with being at the center of the high-profile case.

“People can say what they want about you, but they have no control,” he said at the time. “They can do whatever they want, they can even put you behind bars. They can control your physical, but they can’t control my mind. They can’t control my spirit. They can’t control my soul, and they can’t control the knowledge that I have of who I am.”