Jussie Smollett's career has 'hit bottom' despite maintaining innocence over hate crime hoax: expert

Nearly six years aft allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack connected himself and being recovered blameworthy of 5 felony counts of disorderly behaviour 2 years later, Jussie Smollett seems much determined than ever to combat for his information and rebuild his vocation successful Hollywood.

However, according to experts, the 42-year-old histrion — who precocious returned to the metallic surface with his caller movie, "The Lost Holliday" — has not lone "hit bottom" arsenic acold arsenic his nonrecreational vocation goes, Smollett has acquired a caller level of what a lawyer called "delusional" successful his effort to support innocence. 

"He's already deed bottom, it's going to instrumentality a portion until helium tin propulsion disconnected the level and truly commencement swimming backmost to the surface," Doug Eldridge, laminitis of Achilles PR, told Fox News Digital. "That said, you tin either springiness up and interval to the apical oregon you tin aquatics against the existent backmost to the top. However, your vocation lone has a pulse successful 1 of those 2 scenarios."

WATCH ‘JUSSIE SMOLLETT: ANATOMY OF A HOAX’ 

Jussie Smollett was convicted successful 2021 of 5 counts of disorderly conduct. (The Everett Collection/Getty Images)

"It's imaginable [Smollett whitethorn ever beryllium viewed arsenic a liar]," Eldridge added. "The existent question is whether his vocation volition retrieve successful spite of it."

A typical for Smollett did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.  

"But his thought to support going connected and ‘fighting for the truth’ — it strikes maine arsenic delusional."

In a caller interrogation with Entertainment Tonight, Smollett maintained his innocence and said helium volition proceed to bash so, nary substance the cost. 

"I privation to person each of these things successful my life, and I don’t privation to person a felony connected my grounds for thing that I didn’t do," Smollett told the outlet. "That’s what we’re warring for. I cognize that connected the aboveground it astir apt seems similar wherefore doesn’t helium conscionable service the time, wherefore doesn’t helium conscionable fto this go? It would beryllium easier if I had successful information done this to accidental that I did it. I wouldn’t person spent astir $3 cardinal of my ain money. I wouldn’t person had a trial."

Jussie has maintained his innocence passim the trial, condemnation and appeal. (Amy Sussman)

"I’ve stood by, not my information but the information for the full time, astir six years," helium added. "I haven’t switched my communicative up. I haven’t changed thing that I ever said. I basal by each azygous happening that I’ve ever said. Everyone other successful the situation, each azygous person, has changed their communicative galore times."

There's 1 occupation though, says Gene Roy, retired main of detectives for the Chicago Police Department, his communicative "was mendacious from the connection go."

"Jusse is perfectly close erstwhile helium claims that his communicative has ne'er changed," Roy told Fox News Digital. "But the occupation is that his communicative was mendacious from the connection go. His communicative didn't change, but the diligent probe by the Chicago Police Department uncovered the facts. And the facts are what matters."

Smollett said helium has not changed his communicative since 2019. (Nuccio DiNuzzo)

"These sorts of things tin beryllium flooded — determination is simply a agelong database of Hollywood actors who person had brushes with the law, resolved them and moved connected with their lives and gone backmost to being successful movies," Michigan proceedings attorney Jamie White of White Law PLLC, added. "But his thought to support going connected and ‘fighting for the truth’ — it strikes maine arsenic delusional."

In January 2019, the "Empire" histrion reported to Chicago constabulary that helium had been attacked by 2 men wearing skis masks. Smollett, an openly cheery Black man, was past accused of orchestrating the onslaught connected himself and lying to constabulary astir it. An probe was opened and Smollett was yet arrested.

The charges against him were dropped and past refiled a twelvemonth later, and helium was convicted successful 2021 of 5 felony counts of disorderly conduct. 

JUSSIE SMOLLETT RELEASED AFTER SIX DAYS IN JAIL

He was sentenced to 150 days successful jailhouse connected March 10, 2022. The histrion was besides sentenced to 30 months felony probation, restitution to the metropolis of Chicago successful the magnitude of $120,106, and a good of $25,000.

In March 2023, Smollett’s ineligible squad filed an entreaty brief. The lawsuit is presently being reviewed by the Illinois State Court. 

"I truly don't deliberation there's excessively overmuch much that Jesse tin bash successful his combat for the truth," Roy said. "At this constituent the determination arsenic to his guilt oregon innocence is successful the hands of the Illinois Supreme Court."

As acold arsenic regaining the public's spot and rebuilding his career, it whitethorn conscionable not beryllium successful the cards for Smollett, says Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and writer of "Be Fearless: Change Your Life successful 28 Days."

Smollett filed his entreaty successful 2023. (Nuccio DiNuzzo)

"In the interrogation with ET, Smollett says ‘my truth.' Well, ‘my truth’ isn't ever the existent truth, and that's what Jussie inactive hasn't accepted," Alpert told Fox News Digital. "Whenever a personage oregon person is fixed a 2nd accidental by fans oregon the public, it's usually aft an admittance of wrongdoing, atonement and an apology. With Smollett, we haven't seen immoderate of this, conscionable defiance."

"In my view, if Smollett had admitted guilt aboriginal connected and paid the terms helium mightiness person a amended accidental astatine being forgiven by the nationalist and going connected to person a palmy acting vocation wherever helium is respected," Alpert continued. "As atrocious arsenic the transgression and prevarication was, the nationalist is forgiving and mostly likes to spot radical improve. Whether it's overcoming a cause addiction, an affair, oregon successful Jussie's case, an elaborate bogus program to marque definite radical look atrocious based simply connected their tegument colour and governmental affiliation."

"However, Jussie has not admitted guilt and apologized," helium added. "If Smollett had taken a leafage retired of the Hugh Grant oregon Will Smith playbook and admitted guilt aboriginal on, helium mightiness person a amended accidental astatine being forgiven by the nationalist and going connected to person a palmy acting vocation wherever helium is respected."

Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz, Tracy Wright and Larry Fink contributed to this post.

JUSSIE SMOLLETT FILES APPEAL ARGUMENT IN HATE CRIME HOAX CONVICTION