Jussie Smollett To Be Released From Jail During Appeal

The courts have ordered for Jussie Smollett to be released from jail, pending his appeal of a five-month jail sentence.

The Empire actor had just started serving his five months last Thursday at Cook County Jail. Smollett did not take it lightly, as right after he received his sentence he reportedly yelled about his innocence with fists raised in the air as he was taken out of the court in handcuffs. Smollett was sentenced due to what the jury determined was a staged hate crime, which he reported as motivated by his race and sexual orientation. The appeals court has ordered his release during the appeal process on his own recognizance, with $150,000 as bond.

According to TMZ, the state's response to the ask for release reads, "Rather than attempt to meet his burden of showing good cause for his immediate release, Mr. Smollett makes only cursory, woefully undeveloped arguments. Each fails to demonstrate good cause to stay his jail sentence." Smollett had been held in the Cook County Jail under protective custody, with his family and defense team claiming that he was in physical danger while in jail. They took to social media to discuss how he was the target of "vicious threats" on social media, putting him further at risk.