Prosecutor Calls Jussie Smollett ‘Washed Up Celeb’

Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx dropped all of the charges against Jussie Smollett that were related to his alleged hate crime, but about two weeks prior she didn’t have the nicest things to say about him.

In fact, the Cook County State’s attorney referred to the Empire star as a “washed up celeb who lied to cops,” according to CBS Chicago reporter, Charlie De Mar, who obtained text messages and emails sent from Foxx. She believed the charges against Smollett were too harsh.

“Sooo……I’m recused, but when people accuse us of overcharging cases…16 counts on a class 4 becomes exhibit A,” she writes in one of the messages. Foxx then goes on to compare Smollett’s charges to R. Kelly’s charges, who has been accused of pedophilia.

“Pedophile with four victims 10 counts. Washed up celeb who lied to cops, 16. On a case eligible for deferred prosecution I think it’s indicative of something we should be looking at generally. Just because we can charge something doesn’t mean we should,” she wrote.

After claiming he was a victim of a hate crime back in January, the Chicago police ultimately arrested Smollett for allegedly lying about being attacked. He was then charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct.

However, just a couple of months later, all the charges against Smollett were dropped after he agreed to pay his $10,000 bail and do 16 hours of community service.

Smollett will not be returning for the rest of Season 5 on Empire, but it’s still unclear whether he — or the show, for that matter — will be coming back for a sixth season.