The greed that exists within the Hollywood hierarchy is something that a great deal of Americans will never be able to understand.
This has to do with the innate wealth of anyone making a living in the entertainment industry, and what that does to warp the minds of those at the top.
Television actor Jussie Smollett is just such an example, after he was caught faking a hate crime against himself for the purpose of gaining more notoriety in the cult of celebrity. Smollett believed that the additional exposure of having survived such an attack would then allow him to demand more money within the industry.
After Smollett was exposed and charged with the crime of making a false report to police, a mysterious maneuver by the DA’s office set him free.
Now the actor faces new charges in the case, and his legal response to the accusations was dumbfounding.
Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett pleaded not guilty Monday to restored charges that accuse him of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself last year in Chicago and falsely reporting to police that the phony attack was real.
His lawyer, Tina Glandian, entered the not guilty pleas on his behalf to six counts of felony disorderly conduct. She also told Judge James B. Linn that she has asked the Illinois Supreme Court to halt the case.
A somber looking Smollett, 37, entered the Cook County courthouse wearing sunglasses and sporting a beard, flanked by his legal team and surrounded by reporters.
“He’s obviously frustrated to be dragged through this process again,” Glandian told reporters after the hearing.
Smollett isn’t likely to skate as easily this time, as there appears to be ample evidence that the hate crime hoax was perpetrated by two Empire extras with physical and fiscal evidence of Smollett’s involvement.
