Watch: Jussie Smollett Leaves Jail After Being Granted Release

Jussie Smollett walked out of Cook County jail on Wednesday after a judge ordered he be released on bond while his attorneys appeal his conviction. Smollett’s lawyers filed legal documents to postpone the Empire alum’s five-month sentence two days prior, claiming that Smollett would be a target while in custody due to his celebrity status and the high-profile nature case. 

The actor was sentenced last week to 30 months of probation, the first 150 days of which were to be spent inside Cook County Jail, on five counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police following an alleged staged hate crime against himself. The charges stem from his 2019 incident in which Smollett claimed to police he was the victim of a racist and homophobic hate crime. 

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 “I am innocent, and I am not suicidal,” Smollett said with a fist held high in the air during his sentencing hearing, reports CBS News. “If I did this, then it means that I stuck my fist in the fears of Black Americans in this country for over 400 years and the fears of the LGBT community. Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury. But I did not do this, and I am not suicidal – and if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that. I respect you, your honor, and I respect your decision.”

While in custody, Smollett was quickly placed in psychiatric care in jail. “Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail,” Smollett’s brother Jocqui said in a video posted to his brother’s Instagram, updating his fans on the situation. “What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put on the front of his jail cell saying that he’s at risk of self-harm.” He continued, “I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape, or form at risk of self-harm. And he wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy, and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him.”