Jussie Smollett has entered an outpatient rehab facility after several rough years in the spotlight.
“Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps,” a rep for the actor said in a statement to TMZ.
The rep did not say what the actor is being treated for.
Jussie reported to Chicago Police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two white men, who ere also MAGA supporters, wearing ski masks in January 2019. Police found that Jussie set up the crime and charged him and he was sent to jail.
He was released after filing an appeal. In his appeal, he claims the prosecution used “uninvited commentary that was dismissive of lines of defense questioning that had sought to establish homophobia, a central theory of the defense case; made commentary defending a detective’s investigative decision during cross-examination; accused one of the defense counsels, without basis, of editorializing during cross-examination; and made commentary that sought to hurry along parts of the defense cross-examination; all of which occurred in front of the jury.”
The appeal is ongoing.