Whether guilty or not guilty, a brand expert says that Jussie Smollett may never recover his public image after his trial.
As the jury continues to deliberate on Thursday, someone believes that the former Empire actor has already lost regardless of the decision because the incident had already damaged Smollett’s reputation.
After closing arguments concluded on Wednesday, the decision is now in the jury’s hands whether to find the 39-year-old actor guilty of faking a hoax hate crime attack against himself with his associates, brothers Abimbola and Olabingo Osundairo. The scandal, which broke in January 2019, has covered Smollett’s public image with nothing but the case and whether he committed a crime by lying to Chicago police.
As a result of the scandal, Smollett was dropped out of the final season of “Empire,” and he claims he has not gotten any acting job ever since. Even though he managed to direct the feature film “B-Boy Blues,” the movie is struggling to find a marketer. However, some believe it may be too late for the actor to regain his popularity from the wreckage this scandal and subsequent court case caused.
Evan Nierman, CEO of crisis PR firm Red Banyan and author of the book “Crisis Averted,” told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Smollett has already lost.
“Ultimately, Smollett’s brand and future career are what ended up taking the biggest beating. It’s hard to imagine future employers embracing someone perceived as further inflaming racial discord in America,” he said. “Any future acting opportunities that do come his way are going to be small, and even those likely won’t show up for some time. The jury will make the ultimate decision on his guilt or innocence of these specific charges, but whatever their verdict Smollett has already lost.”
Smollett is facing six counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a fake attack and lying to police about it. The charges carry a possible sentence of up to three years in jail. However, legal experts say if convicted, Smollett would most likely get probation and be ordered to perform community service. On the other hand, the judge may wish to throw a heavier sentence at him because of his testimony. Smollett’s future as an actor looks break regardless of if he avoids jail time, Nierman noted.
Smollett, who is Black and gay, keeps saying that he was attacked by two white men who yelled racial and homophobic things at him while he was on his way home at 2 a.m. from a Subway sandwich shop. However, investigators allege that he hired the Osundairo brothers to orchestrate the attack for publicity.
