Taraji P. Henson, who starred alongside Jussie Smollett on Empire, is calling for the actor’s release from jail. Smollett is serving time in connection with staging a 2019 hate crime.
“I am not here to debate you on his innocence but we can agree that the punishment does not fit the crime,” the Oscar-nominated actress wrote in an Instagram post, Sunday. “Emmett Till was brutally beat and ultimately murdered because of a lie and none of the people involved with his demise spent one day in jail, even after Carolyn Bryant admitted that her claims were false. No one was hurt or killed during Jussie’s ordeal. He has already lost everything, EVERYTHING!”
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Smollett was sentenced to 150 days in jail, following a court ruling, earlier this week.
Rather than serve his time in jail, Henson believes Smollett should be on house arrest.
“To me as an artist not able to create that in itself is punishment enough,” she continued. “He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood will hire him and again as an artist who loves to create, that is prison. My prayer is that he is freed and put on house arrest and probation because in this case that would seem fair.”
Check out Henson’s post below.
[Via]