Jussie Smollett has reached a settlement with the city of Chicago, aiming to move forward from the high-profile hate crime hoax case that has followed him since 2019.
Under the agreement finalized on May 22, Smollett will donate $50,000 to Building Brighter Futures Center for the Arts, a local nonprofit that supports underprivileged youth in Chicago. The payment is part of a settlement resolving the city’s lawsuit, which initially sought $130,000 to cover investigative costs, according to a BBC report.
“The city believes this settlement provides a fair, constructive, and conclusive resolution, allowing all the parties to close this six-year-old chapter and move forward,” a spokesperson for Chicago’s law department said.
This settlement concludes a lengthy legal saga that began when Smollett reported being the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in 2019. Investigators later accused him of staging the attack and filing a false police report—a charge he has consistently denied.
Though criminal charges were dropped, the city pursued a civil case to recover costs. Smollett has maintained his innocence throughout and used the settlement announcement to reaffirm his stance.
“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,” Smollett said in a social media statement. “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 said he ultimately agreed to the settlement to support a cause he believes in and to help close the chapter for all involved.
“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 wrote. “Despite what happened there politically, Chicago was my home for over five 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.”
