Last Updated on February 22, 2024
Who is Jussie Smollett?
Jussie Smollett is a popular American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his role as Jamal Lyon on the popular FOX series “Empire.” Smollett is no stranger to the spotlight and had his humble beginnings working in commercials and minor TV roles.
Before Smollett landed his breakthrough role, he was once a child model and actor, starring in movies like “The Mighty Duck” in 1992 and TV series like “Queen” in 1993. Smollett is also a talented singer and is strongly involved in activism.
Quick Facts
Full Name: | Justin Smollett |
Popular Name: | Jussie Smollett |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | June 21, 1982 |
Age: | 40 years |
Parents: | Joel Smollett (father), Janet Smollett (mother) |
Siblings: | Jake Smollett, Jocqui Smollett, Jojo Smollett, Jazz Smollett, Jurnee Smollett |
Birth Place: | Santa Rosa, California, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Ethnicity: | African-American, Jewish |
Education: | Paramus Catholic High School, New Jersey, LA Calabasas High School, Malibu High School |
Marital Status: | Single |
Sexual Orientation: | Gay |
Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
Children: | N/A |
Dating: | N/A |
Net Worth: | $1.5 million |
Source of Wealth: | Professional Actor |
Height: | 5ft11 (1.8m) |
Weight: | 79 kg (174 lbs) |
Early Life and Career Information
Justin Smollett, popularly known as Jussie Smollett, was born in Santa Rosa, California, the United States, on June 21, 1982, to Joel and Janet Smollett. When he was just two years old, Smollett’s family moved to New York, where they lived in Elmhurst, a neighborhood in Queens.
By the time Smollett was seven, his family had moved back to California and later to New Jersey, where he grew up with his five siblings. Smollett’s parents separated when he was only 15, and his father was mostly absent during his childhood. As a result, Smollett moved around a lot with his mother and siblings.
He attended L. A Calabasas High School, Malibu High School but finally graduated from Paramus Catholic High School in New Jersey. At age 19, Smollett revealed to his parents that he was gay.
Jussie Smollett began his career as a child appearing in commercials and modeling before venturing into acting. In 1990, Smollett appeared as an extra on the set of “Mo’ Better Blues.” In 1992, he made his debut film appearance in the comedy film titled “The Mighty Ducks,” where he played the role of Terry Hall. Smollett also appeared in the 1993 TV series “Queen,” where he was cast as the son of Halle Berry (Queen) and Danny Glover (Alec Haley).
From 1994 to 1995, Smollett starred in the ABC sitcom “On Our Own” alongside his siblings. Smollett remained out of the limelight until 2012 when he landed a lead role as Magnus in the romance-drama “The Skinny” and guest-starred in an episode of “The Mindy Project.”
2014 could mostly be regarded as the breakthrough year in Smollett’s career when he landed the role of Jamal Lyon in FOX’s “Empire” series. Smollett appeared on the show alongside A-listers like Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard for five seasons until the character Jamal was removed.
Aside from his acting career, Smollett has also pursued a career in music, co-writing songs like “I wanna love you” and “You’re so beautiful” on the original soundtrack of Season One of “Empire.”
His EP, “Poisoned Hearts Club,” was released in 2012, and later in 2015, Smollett announced that he had landed a recording contract with Columbia. Smollett’s debut album “Sum of My Music” was released in 2018.
In 2019, Smollett reported that two masked men in Chicago had attacked him. However, during the investigation, the police discovered that Smollett might have been involved in staging the attacks.
This revelation led to a series of backlash from the public, and Smollett’s career was not left out. Following the official charge, Fox announced the removal of the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of season five and that he would not be returning for season six of the show.
Smollett was found guilty and convicted of five charges of felony disorderly conduct after lying to the police about being a victim of a hate crime and sentenced in March 2022 to 150 days in jail and 30 months of probation with a fine of $145,000. He, however, was released on appeal in the same month.
Smollett has been nominated for various awards, including the Teens Choice Awards and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, which he won in 2017.
Jussie Smollett’s Net Worth
Smollett is no stranger to hard work and started grinding way back from his childhood, first appearing in commercials and minor movie roles till his big break in “Empire.”
While details of Smollett’s net worth vary, his music and movies remain his best-known sources of income. And with a major success like the hit TV Series “Empire,” it is no wonder his net worth sits at $1.5 million.
Lessons from the life of Jussie Smollett
You Are Enough
“There’s not one human being on the planet earth who has never felt, at some point, unaccepted. At some point in our lives, we feel like we’re not good enough, but we have to step back and realize who we are” ~ Jussie Smollett
We have all felt that we are not good enough at some point. And that’s okay. But remember that you’re good enough for yourself. So just be you, play your part as best as possible, and the world will adjust.
The Truth Will Set You Free
“There really is no weight to telling the truth. It’s a little scary sometimes, but if you tell the truth, you don’t have to be looking over your shoulder” ~ Jussie Smollett
Even though this sounds cliché, there has never been a more apt saying. Telling the truth relieves us of a lot of burdens. And though people may not always agree, it is our truth. Jussie spoke his truth when he announced in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres that he was gay in 2016. Now he no longer carries the burden of what the world thinks.