“Empire” star Jussie Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report, a felony.
“Felony criminal charges have been approved by @CookCountySAO against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct / Filing a False Police Report. Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest,” Chicago Police chief communications officer Anthony Guglielmi said Wednesday.
In a statement, Smollett’s attorneys vowed to ” mount an aggressive defense.”
“Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked,” Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said. “Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”
20th Century Fox did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TheWrap.
On Wednesday, Smollett was officially named a suspect in his own assault case.
Smollett reported Jan. 29 that he was attacked by two men who shouted racial and homophobic slurs and referenced “MAGA.” After releasing two former suspects over the weekend, police said they wanted to interview Smollett again — and then declared him the suspect.
Earlier on Wednesday, Fox had renewed its support of Smollett, saying, “Jussie Smollett continues to be a consummate professional on set and as we have previously stated, he is not being written out of the show.”
That statement came amid reports, including one here, that Smollett’s role of Jamal Lyon would be reduced over the remainder of “Empire’s” fifth season.
Since Smollett’s first police report on Jan. 29, the investigation took many turns, with varying degrees of cooperation from Smollett. At one point, police brought in brothers Olabinjo (“Ola”) and Abimbola (“Abel”) Osundairo as persons of interest. As it turned out, both had worked on “Empire.”
The brothers were released without charges last Friday after the police said “new evidence” had emerged and that the investigation’s “trajectory” had changed course. Earlier this week, CNN reported that Chicago police believed that Smollett might have paid the brothers to stage the attack.
A week before Smollett reported the attack, Fox received a letter threatening Smollett. On Tuesday, ABC News reported that the FBI and U.S. Postal Service were looking into the possibility that Smollett had sent the threatening letter to himself, or played a role in its creation and delivery.
Also on Tuesday, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx recused herself from the investigation to avoid “potential questions of impartiality,” a rep for Foxx said. First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats has been set to act as prosecutor in her place.
More to come…
34 Most Embarrassing Celebrity Mugshots, From Heather Locklear to Robert Downey Jr (Photos)
Celebrity arrests: It's like looking at a car accident. You don't want to give into the tabloids, but part of you also wants to know what they did to deserve a mug shot. Here are 17 arrests that were embarrassing -- either for the celeb or the police who booked 'em.
Smoking Gun
Jane Fonda
The city was Cleveland, Ohio, the year was 1970, and Fonda was fresh off filming "Klute." Customs officers at the airport confiscated her vitamins and arrested her for drug smuggling. The actress was released on bond, and months later, after the pills had been tested, officials admitted they were indeed only vitamins.
Smoking Gun
David Bowie
Bowie was arrested in Rochester, New York, in 1976 for pot possession after a concert. He was arrested alongside Iggy Pop and two other co-defendants.
Smoking Gun
Shia LeBeouf
Back in 2015, LeBeouf was arrested on an intoxication charge in Austin, Texas. He was released on bail. It's not the only time the actor has been arrested; he was arrested in January in New York during a rally against Donald Trump.
Smoking Gun
Lindsay Lohan
Everyone's favorite "Mean Girl" has spent many nights in jail. This mug shot was taken when she was booked into the Lynnwood Correctional Facility to serve three months after breaking her probation following two DUI arrests in 2007.
Smoking Gun
Chace Crawford
The former "Gossip Girl" star was arrested in 2010 for marijuana possession under 2 oz. before being released.
Smoking Gun
Michelle Rodriguez
Rodriguez was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving in Oahu, Hawaii. Given the option between five nights in jail and community service, she chose the jail time.
Smoking Gun
Vince Vaughn
While working on a film in North Carolina in 2001, Vaughn was arrested for public fighting. He entered a no contest plea and the charges were dropped after six months.
Smoking Gun
Nick Nolte
Nolte was arrested in 2002 for drunk driving by the California Highway Patrol.
Smoking Gun
Bill Cosby
This shot was taken when Cosby turned himself in on a charge of aggravated indecent assault for an alleged encounter in 2004. At least 35 women have accused Cosby of assaulting them.
Smoking Gun
Paul Reubens
The actor best known as Pee-wee Herman was arrested in July 1991 and charged with indecent exposure at an adult movie house in Sarasota, Florida. He later pleaded no contest, and received a fine as well as order to produce an anti-drug PSA.
Robert Downey Jr.
Downey, Jr. and arrests aren't strangers. This mugshot was taken in 2000 in Palm Springs, when the actor was found possessing drugs months after being released from prison.
Smoking Gun
Christian Slater
Slater was arrested in December 1994 for criminal possession of a weapon at an airport in New York. He reached a plea deal, requiring him to work with homeless children for three days.
Smoking Gun
Fiona Apple
The singer's mugshot looks like an album cover. She was arrested at a border stop in Texas and was found to have marijuana.
Smoking Gun
Patty Hearst
Granddaughter to the news publisher, Hearst was arrested in 1975 on bank robbery and gun charges. President Jimmy Carter commuted her sentence in 1979.
Smoking Gun
Rush Limbaugh
The late radio host turned himself in on a warrant that charged him with fraud to conceal information to obtain prescriptions in Florida in 2006. He reached a settlement in which he paid $30,000 and agreed to undergo addiction counseling. (He died in 2021.)
Smoking Gun
Hugh Grant
The British actor was arrested in 1995 in Hollywood on charges for lewd conduct. He was caught with a hooker by police.
Smoking Gun
Heather Locklear
The former "Melrose Place" actress was arrested in Thousand Oaks, California, in February 2018 for domestic violence and battery on a police officer.
Ventura Country Sheriff's Department
Chris Brown
Just after performing a concert in West Palm Beach, Fla., the R&B singer with a long history of legal trouble was arrested in July 2018 on felony assault charges.
Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
Bill Gates
The founder of Microsoft was picked up in 1977 on a traffic violation in Albequerque, New Mexico.
Albequerque Police Department
Jussie Smollett
The "Empire" star was arrested in February 2019 and charged with a felony for filing a false police report in connection with a hate crime assault he reported took place the month before in Chicago. The actor's lawyers promised an "aggressive defense."
Chicago Police Department
R. Kelly
The singer-songwriter was indicted in February 2019 on 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving four accusers – three of whom prosecutors said were underage.
Chicago Police Department
Stacey Dash
The "Clueless" star known for playing Dionne Davenport in the 1995 teen movie was arrested in Florida for domestic battery in September 2019. She and an unnamed victim got into a “verbal argument” in which she “pushed the victim and slapped him in the face,” according to an affidavit from the Pasco County sheriff's office.
Pasco Sheriff's Office
Amber Portwood
The "Teen Mom OG" reality star was arrested in July 2019 for felony domestic battery charges in Indiana, according to Radar Online.
Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department
Conor McGregor
MMA fighter Conor McGregor was arrested in March of 2019 after police said he smashed a fan's phone outside of the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel, according to the Miami Herald.
Miami Beach Police/ MEGA
Larissa Dos Santos Lima
The "90 Day Fiance" star was arrest and charged with first degree domestic battery in Jan. 2019 following a reported altercation with her husband, Colt Johnson, according to Us Weekly. Dos Santos Lima claimed that Johnson had been the one to attack her, police told Us that they "determined that she was the aggressor in this case."
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Jesse Luken
The "Glee" and "Justified" star was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving after crashing his car in Glendale, California, in December 2018, according to the L.A. Times.
Glendale Police Department
Thomas Ravenel
The "Southern Charm" star was arrested in September 2019 on a charge of second-degree assault and battery, according to inmate records from the Charleston County Sheriff’s office. He announced his exit from the Bravo reality series following an accusation of sexual assault earlier that year.
Charleston Sheriff's Office
Amanda Stanton
Stanton, who appeared on Ben Higgins’ season of “The Bachelor” in 2016, was arrested in September 2018 after a report of an altercation with her boyfriend Bobby Jacobs in Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Orlando Brown
The former "That's So Raven" star was arrested in Las Vegas for burglary in September 2018, according to E! News. In June of that year, he was arrested for felony drug possession, as well as misdemeanor charges of drug paraphernalia, resisting arrest and obstructing a public officer, E! added.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
Offset
The rapper from the group Migos, Offset, whose real name is Kiari Kendrell Cephus, was arrested in July 2018 for gun possession. Police pulled him over while driving a Porsche 911 for improper lane changing in Georgia, at which point they found him in possession of a firearm, according to CBS News.
Clayton County Police Department
Stormy Daniels
Adult film star Stormy Daniels, who says she had an affair with Donald Trump before his presidency, was arrested and charged with three counts of illegal sexually oriented activity, and a misdemeanor in July of 2018 at a strip club in Columbus, Ohio, according to the New York Times. The charges were dropped 24 hours later. Daniels later sued the city of Columbus citing a violation of her civil rights, the Times adds. She reached a $450,000 settlement with the city in September 2019.
Franklin County Sheriff's Office
Vince Vaughn
The "Wedding Crashers" star was also arrested, this time for for drunk driving and obstructing an officer, in June 2018, according to TMZ. He was charged with a DWI, and later posted bail and was released the same day, TMZ added.
Manhattan Beach Police Department
Jason Mitchell
The "Straight Outta Compton" star was arrested in Harris County, Misssippi, in April 2020 and faced two felony charges for possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, as well as two more felony charges for possession of a weapon by a felon. "This misunderstanding will be resolved shortly," his rep told TMZ.
Tiffany Haddish
This is most definitely not an "embarrassing" mugshot -- in fact, it's pretty cute for a mugshot. The popular actress was arrested in January 2022 on a DUI charge in Georgia, with police saying she was found asleep at the wheel.
Fayette County Sheriff's Office
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From drunk driving to trafficking… vitamins?
Celebrity arrests: It's like looking at a car accident. You don't want to give into the tabloids, but part of you also wants to know what they did to deserve a mug shot. Here are 17 arrests that were embarrassing -- either for the celeb or the police who booked 'em.