Jussie Smollett Issues Statement After <br />Charges Against Him Are Dropped The 'Empire' actor was previously <br />charged with 16 felony counts of <br />disorderly conduct for allegedly <br />staging a hate crime against himself. Chicago prosecutors dropped all <br />criminal charges against Smollett <br />during a surprise hearing on Tuesday. Smollett issued his <br />first public statement. Jussie Smollett, <br />via statement Jussie Smollett, <br />via statement The 36-year-old actor also expressed <br />a desire to "get back to work and <br />move on" with his life. Jussie Smollett, <br />via statement Some celebrities immediately took to <br />social media to post their opinions of <br />the charges being dropped.
