Jussie Smollett is being held in the psych ward at a Chicago jail — and his brother is flipping out.
The 39-year-old “Empire” actor, who remains at the Cook County Jail after being sentenced to five months behind bars for staging a hate crime, was thrown into the ward because of a paperwork snafu, his brother claims.
“What’s very concerning is that there was a note attached to the paperwork today, and it said on the front of his jail cell … that he is at risk of self-harm,” Jocqui Smollett said on Instagram.
“I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way shape or form at risk to self-harm and he wants to let folks know that, 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,” the sibling said in the post Saturday.
“This is not right,” Jocqui Smollett said. “This is complete lack of justice. It’s angering, it’s an outrage.”
Officials said last week that Jussie Smollett, who ranted he wasn’t suicidal as he was hauled out of court Thursday, would be held in protective custody.
In a statement last week, authorities said the troubled actor was only in the ward because it’s one of the areas in the jail where high-profile inmates are housed.
“Mr. Smollett is not being held in solitary confinement,” the Cooks County Sheriff’s Office said in the statement. “The use of solitary confinement was abolished at the Cook County ail in 2016, and any claim that he is being held in the manner is false.”
The sheriff said Smollett is given “substantial time” out of his cell and is able to use the telephone, watch television “and interact with staff.”
“These protocols are routinely used for individuals ordered into protective custody who may potentially be at risk of harm due to the nature of their charges, their profession, or their noteworthy status,” the statement said.
Jussie Smollett was found guilty on five counts of felony disorderly conduct after an eight-day trial stemming from the staged 2019 assault.
The actor claimed he was the victim of a racist, homophobic attack in downtown Chicago in 2019 — with investigators later determining that he conspired with two brothers to stage the attack because he was unhappy with his “Empire” pay.