Overview

• Jussie Smollett has agreed to donate $50,000 to the Building Better Futures Center for the Arts in Chicago as part of a settlement with the City of Chicago.
• The donation resolves a six-year civil lawsuit seeking restitution for $120,000 in taxpayer expenses related to the investigation of Smollett's staged hate crime in 2019.
• The settlement does not require Smollett to admit any wrongdoing, allowing him to avoid direct restitution payments to the city.
• Smollett's 2021 conviction on five felony counts related to the hoax was overturned in 2024 by the Illinois Supreme Court, citing a prior plea deal with prosecutors.
• The agreement has been signed by both parties, and Smollett has already made the donation, pending final approval from a judge.