Jussie Smollett Insists He’s Innocent In Lyrics Of New Song ‘Thank You God’
By Kristin Myers on April 11, 2022 at 9:30 AM EDT
Earlier this year, actor Jussie Smollett was sentenced for staging a 2019 hate crime. In December 2021, a jury found the former “Empire” actor guilty of five out of six accounts of disorderly conduct for filing false police reports.
In January 2019, Smollett claimed that he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack; however, the case took a bizarre turn when two brothers stepped forward to claim that Smollett had actually paid them to stage the hoax in the hopes that it would boost his acting career.
On March 10, the actor was sentenced to pay a $25,000 fine and $120,106 dollars of restitution to the City of Chicago. In addition to 30 months of probation, Smollett was also ordered to spend 150 days in the Cook County Jail. At the sentencing, Smollett immediately became agitated and declared “I am not suicidal” while proclaiming his innocence.
On March 16, after serving only six days of his sentence, Smollett was released from jail after putting up a $150,000 personal recognizance bond. Although his appeal is still pending, Smollett decided to declare his innocence... in a song.
Jussie Smollett Asks ‘You Think I’m Stupid Enough To Kill My Reputation?’ In New Lyrics
On Friday, Jussie released an almost six-minute-long R&B track called “Thank You God…” on various streaming platforms. Backed by a gospel-influenced sound and a choir that sings “Thank you God for showing me my enemies, Smollett calls out police for – what he says – falsely accusing him of staging the attack against himself, despite his guilty conviction.
“It’s like they’re h----bent on not solving the crime / Taking out the elements of race and trans and homophobia that’s straight taking lives / But turn around and act like I’m the one that killed the strides,” he raps over the track.
Smollett continues, “I can’t be mad / Take my ego out / Some people searching for fame / Some people chasing that clout / Just remember this, this ain’t that situation / You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?”
He adds, “Just simply to look like a victim like it’s something fun / Y’all better look at someone else, you got the wrong one.”
Jussie Smollett’s New Song Lyrics Say ‘Celebrity Is For The Birds’
Although prosecutors alleged that the former “Empire” actor had staged the attack in order to further his career, Jussie seems to hit back at these claims in his new song lyrics.
“All I ever wanted to do was make my people proud / Fame is nothing real, it’s how you make them feel / Celebrity is for the birds, I ain’t no man of steel,” he continues.
In an Instagram video, Smollett said that any profits made from his new song will be donated to the Rainbow Push Coalition, the STB Safety, and the Illinois Innocence Project. It should be noted that Smollett’s Instagram bio now reads “THIS ACCOUNT IS CURRENTLY RUN BY THE SMOLLETT FAMILY.”
Only three days ago, the family took aim at Judge Linn, who sentenced Jussie Smollett.
Jussie Smollett Family Criticizes Judge Linn’s Harsh Sentencing
Only a few days ago, the Instagram account, which is said to be run by Smollett’s family, took aim at Judge Linn and his “corruption.”
“Hey Family… PLEASE take a moment to learn more about the misconduct of Judge Linn and the corruption that is #CookCounty,” they wrote in the caption. “Did you know that Judge Linn barred our defense team from bringing up police misconduct during the trial? Did you know that former Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, did a press tour to sell the ‘guilty’ narrative before Jussie ever had his day in court? Those same comments were all based on statements from Eddie Johnson that were found to be untrue.”
Right now, Smollett is free on a $150,000 bond while attorneys for the actor are arguing that his trial, and sentencing, were unconstitutional, given that Chicago officials had initially dropped all charges against him after they reached a deal.
