Attending the BET Awards was an easy decision for Jussie Smollett.
The actor wasn’t hesitant about going to Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles in a rare public appearance since being found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct last year, he told “Extra” on the event’s red carpet.
“I made the commitment to myself to go where the love is,” Smollett said. “If you see me on a carpet, I made a choice to be there and I made the choice to be there with my people with love and respect. Just know I am happy to be here and I am happy to be here with mines.”
Smollett, 40, is accused of lying to police about being attacked in Chicago in 2019 by two men whom he claims hurled racial and homophobic slurs at him, poured a chemical substance on him and placed a rope around his neck.
He was found guilty of the disorderly conduct charges in December, and sentenced in March to 150 days in county jail. He was released on a $150,000 bond less than a week later as he appeals the conviction.
Smollett, who rose to fame on the Fox music-industry drama series, has repeatedly maintained his innocence.
He told “Extra” host Rachel Lindsay that he’s set to direct his second film in November. Without giving names, he said the movie has “one of the most iconic actresses of our time starring in it with me.”
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