Judge to Smollett: ‘You Put The Noose Around Your Own Neck’

Hoax artist and "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett, 39, received his official prison sentence on Thursday: subject to five months in jail for faking a hate crime.

Smollett appeared before a Chicago judge after facing five counts of felony disorderly conduct and being acquitted of a sixth, according to the New York Post.

Smollett’s scripted incident occurred on Jan. 29, 2019. He accused two unknown "White" men of putting a noose around his neck, yelling "This is MAGA country" and addressing him with homophobic remarks as the actor allegedly walked to a local Subway at 2 a.m. in the morning.

"You’re misrepresenting me to the jury and to the entire court, and it’s not fair,” Smollett responded after the judge bluntly addressed Smollett's reach for publicity.

“Without showing the actual Insta stories that I posted, they’re not getting the full story so they don’t understand,” Smollett added.

“They never did get the noose around your neck. So what do you do. You put the noose around your own neck. I repeat, you put the noose around your own neck," answered the judge.

Smollett even had his 92-year-old grandmother, Molly, appear before the judge on Thursday, pleading to not send the actor away to jail.

"If you do, send me along with him," said Mama Smollett, willing to take on a life sentence of up to two years.

Smollett has been ordered to pay restitution and will additionally serve 30 months of probation.

OutKick founder Clay Travis tweeted out the video of Smollett as he left the courtroom. Smollett threw up a Black Power fist and yelled "I'm innocent, I could've said that he was guilty a long time ago."

"We are with you, Jussie," said U.S. President Joe Biden.

Follow along on Twitter: @AlejandroAveela

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Alejandro Avila lives in Southern California and previously covered news for the LA Football Network. Jeopardy expert and grumpy sports fan. Known for having watched every movie and constant craving for dessert. @alejandroaveela (on X)