Jussie Smollett Celebrates Birthday On Instagram Months After Hate Crime Scam

Jussie Smollett is choosing to spend his 37th birthday on a positive note.

The former Empire stars shared his third Instagram post with his 5.2 million followers on Friday as the actor and singer posted a photo of himself as a baby. Smollett’s smaller version is beaming as he looks to the camera.

Under the post, Smollett captioned that he was, “Grateful for LOVE.” The singer even added that he was thankful to his followers as well. At the time of writing, the Smollett’s birthday shout out to himself received more than 70,000 likes. However, none of Smollett’s fans could wish the star a happy birthday on Instagram, as he has deactivated comments under all of his photos.

Smollett resurfaced on Instagram just five months after he claimed that he was attacked in Chicago by two men and faced both homophobic and racist insults. Smollett also claimed that the men poured chemicals on him and attempted to choke him with a rope, per People.

While initially, the actor faced an immense amount of support from fans and celebs on social media, it was soon learned that Smollett allegedly staged the entire attack. Smollett was also accused of paying brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo to attack him. Smollett was indicted by Chicago police in March and charged with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report. Shortly after Smollett’s plea of not guilty, the actor’s charges were dropped due to lack of evidence.

Since the attack, Smollett has maintained his innocence and says that he was attacked back in January.

“I’ve been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one,” he told reporters outside of a Chicago courthouse where the charges were dismissed. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of doing what I was accused of.”

While Smollett’s 16 felony counts were dismissed, Radar Online reports that the FBI is launching its own investigation regarding his actions. The actor is also the target of an independent investigation spearheaded by a special prosecutor appointed by a Cook County judge.

“The government offered Jussie Smollett the opportunity to commit crimes,” a source close to the federal probe exclusively told the outlet. “It should have been heard before a judge and resolved by a jury – not behind closed doors.”

Smollett’s career also took a hit due to the allegations against him. The actor — played the role of Jamal Lyon for five seasons as a main cast member — was dropped from Empire for its sixth and final season.