Smollett, who underwent outpatient rehab for undisclosed reasons in fall of 2023, continued, “I’m very grateful to be alive and currently on a journey to find true peace. The world would’ve swallowed me whole had not been for my family.”
His siblings, including actress Jurnee Smollett, have rallied behind him amid the legal proceedings and expressed their belief that he is innocent.
“I have to move forward,” the actor said. “I must.”
An appellate court ruled against Smollett’s appeal in a 2-1 decision last December and the case now lies in the hands of the Illinois Supreme Court, which heard arguments in Smollett’s appeal earlier this month.
His legal team arguing the actor was improperly charged with the same crime twice and that the trial court was also “influenced by improper aggravating factors” when he received his sentence, ABC Chicago reported, citing Capitol News Illinois.