'Empire' Actor Jussie Smollett Makes First Red Carpet Appearance Since 2019 Legal Troubles

Former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett has made his first red carpet appearance since his alleged hate crime attack in 2019. The 39-year-old actor attended on Friday evening a screening event for his new film and directorial debut, “B-Boy Blues,” at the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem multiplex in New York City.

Jussie arrived at the screening wearing a black turtleneck and gray jacket. Photos of him that surfaced over the weekend showed him all smiles as he posed for cameras on the red carpet. He also took to his Instagram Story on Saturday to talk about his return.

“Beyond humbled by last night’s screening,” he wrote. “To see all the love for the film is crazy beautiful. More to come while I catch up but to everyone who came out last night with so much love and community… on behalf of everyone @bboybluesthefilm, thank you. We love y’all. Now to find a home for it so the whole world can see,” he added.

Jurnee Smollett, Jussie’s sister, also took to Instagram to express her appreciation for her brother’s project. “So proud of you @jussiesmollett!!,” she wrote alongside a photo of them at the screening. “Congrats on making your feature directorial debut with @bboybluesthefilm! Can’t wait for the world to see the magic you all have created in this film!”

“B-Boy Blues” is the film adaptation of James Earl Hardy’s best-selling novel of the same name. The film was produced through Jussie’s Super Massive Movies, Hardy, and others.

The film centers on the difficult relationship between 27-year-old journalist Mitchell Crawford and 21-year-old bike messenger and banjee boy Raheim Rivers, more commonly known as B-boy. In the novel, the two fall in love after crossing paths in a gay bar in Greenwich Village in the summer of 1993 but are eventually faced with a world of homophobia and violence.

Jussie’s recent outing came just days before he is set to face a jury over the hate crime charges filed against him in 2019. His lawyers previously tried to dismiss the case but a judge denied the motion last month.