On November 21, 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned Jussie Smollett's conviction. The actor was charged and convicted of disorderly conduct in 2021 for lying to the police about being a victim of a hate crime.

Nearly six years after actor Jussie Smollett was accused of staging a hate-crime hoax in downtown Chicago and lying to police, an Illinois Supreme Court decision overturned his conviction over prosecutorial issues,

The Illinois Supreme Court overturned Jussie Smollett's 2021 conviction, saying prosecutors had no right to retry him.

Smollett was first indicted on 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for filing a false police report, though Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx agreed to drop the charges if he paid $10,000 and did community service. A special prosecutor later charged him again, leading to his trial and conviction.

Empire actor Jussie Smollett ’s hate crime hoax conviction has been overturned by the Illinois Supreme Court. In short, per a report from the Associated Press, the court cited the prior dropping of charges in the case and the actor’s forfeiture of a $10,

Abimbola 'Bola' and Olabinjo 'Ola' Osundairo, who admitted to helping Jussie Smollett with his hoax attack, share their reaction to the Illinois Supreme Court's decision to reverse his conviction.