Jussie Smollett

Jussie Smollett (born June 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He began his career in 1991 as a child actor, making his debut in The Mighty Ducks (1992). From 2015 to 2019, Smollett gained recognition for his portrayal of musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series Empire. In January 2019, Smollett staged a fake hate crime against himself in Chicago and later made false police reports regarding the incident. In December 2021, he was convicted of five felony counts of disorderly conduct and sentenced to 150 days in county jail. Smollett was born in Santa Rosa, California, and is biracial and Jewish, with an African-American mother and Jewish father.