Hate crime hoaxer and one-time FOX TV star Jussie Smollett made a brief return to the spotlight when he took to the stage for a dance and song number at a Pride Month performance on Harlem, New York, on Saturday.
Smollett took the stage for the first time in years after Harlem Pride kicked off its event on June 27 hosted by Hope Giselle and featuring sounds by DJ Adair.
“I’m so excited to perform back home for Harlem Pride. It’s been eight years since I last gave a full show. So, to be here with these incredible artists and activists means the world to me. We have 30 minutes to make folks forget their worries while recognizing that now is the time, more than ever before, to be bolder, braver and unapologetically proud,” Smollett said in a statement ahead of the event.
The actor and singer was roasted online for his performance.
Smollett is now most famous for claiming he was attacked by “MAGA supporters” in the dead of night during a freezing night in downtown Chicago — a place not known for an abundance of Trump fans. He was eventually convicted of lying about the attack and evidence showed he arranged the incident with two friends. The two men later testified that Smollett gave them money and orchestrated the attack so that he could use it for personal publicity.
He was sentenced to 150 days in county jail for filing a false police report and other minor crimes.
However, years later the Democrat-controlled Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction.
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