Jussie Smollett‘s loved ones continue to support theEmpirestar amid scandal.
Three weeks after all charges weredroppedagainst the star, brother JoJo Smollett defended Jussie’s character in an op-ed penned forBET.com, which was released on Saturday.
“It has not yet been 90 days since my younger brother, Jussie Smollett, was assaulted on a cold winter night in Chicago. Within less than three months, his life has been turned upside down as my family and I have witnessed him endure unrelenting attacks to his character and reputation,” JoJo wrote.
Jussie was arrested Feb. 20 after an investigation, and indicted on16 counts of disorderly conduct for making false reports.
“Like so many others, this entire process quickly devolved from a focus on him as a victim of assault, to him being falsely accused and held responsible for a crime that was perpetrated against him. To define this experience as unjust would be an understatement,” JoJo said.
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Police previously accused the starof paying $3,500to stage a “bogus” attack on himself because he was unhappy with hisEmpiresalary, though a source denied any dissatisfaction with money to PEOPLE.
“Is that all it takes to destroy a lifelong dedication to one’s craft and community? Is it really that easy to convince the world of a person’s guilt?” JoJo wrote about the media and police allegations. “Is that all it takes to turn someone’s life upside down in America? Simply ask yourself this, ‘What if Jussie is telling the truth?’ ”
Anthony Guglielmi, Chief Communications Officer for the Chicago Police, told PEOPLE in a statement: “At the end of the day people have to form their own conclusions. People should have access to unsealed records and form their own conclusions.”
JoJo further denied his brother’s alleged actions in the case, specifically calling the police’s accusations about Jussie staging the attack as “ludicrous.”
Jussie Smollett/Twitter
The protective older brother also stated that Jussie “never seeks attention” and “didn’t even want to contact the police, following his assault,” adding, “He was weary and didn’t care for the unnecessary attention it might garner.”
After charges against him were dropped in late March, Smollettspoke outand insisted that he has been telling the truth about the attack since the very beginning. “I’ve been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one,” he told reporters at the Cook County courthouse in Chicago. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of doing what I was accused of.”
“Jussie is a son, a brother, a partner, a champion for human rights, and a genuine soul who would never be capable of what he was falsely accused of,” the family said. “He was the victim of an assault and then falsely blamed for his own attack … Truth has prevailed and he has been vindicated.”
RELATED VIDEO: Loni Love Opens Up After Talking to Jussie Smollett: ‘I Don’t Believe He Was Ever Guilty’
At the end of March, all charges against the Fox star were dropped, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed to PEOPLE.
If Smollett had been tried and found guilty of falsifying a police report, the Class 4 felony carried a potential sentence of up to three years in prison.
RELATED VIDEO: Amid Ongoing Jussie Smollett Scandal, Taraji P. Henson Weighs In On Polarizing Political Climate
Describing his younger brother as a “good, soulful and spiritual man,” JoJo also said, “Jussie’s character onEmpirerepresents much of who he is and has given voice to people who have been historically marginalized.”
JoJo even asked fans not to take pity on his brother, writing, “I am definitely not asking you to feel sorry for my brother. He would never allow that. He still carries a humility, grace and knows he walks in more rarified air than so many people who have been wrongly accused and paying a heavy price.”
Empireairs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on Fox.
source: people.com
