Jussie Smollett Net Worth: How Much Did He Earn On 'Empire'?

Jussie Smollett, who was found guilty Thursday of felony disorderly conduct charges in Chicago after staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself in 2019, earned millions for his previous co-starring role in "Empire."

The 39-year-old actor was paid $65,000 per episode for the Fox drama series' fifth season, which aired from 2018 to 2019, HuffPost reported in 2019, citing a "well-placed source." On average, there are 18 episodes of "Empire" per season, which means he would have received around $1.17 million in total.

However, a report from The Hollywood Reporter said that Smollett, who played musician Jamal Lyon on "Empire," was earning double that amount during the fifth season.

While he was paid between $40,000 to $50,000 per episode in 2015 during the series' first season, Smollett's salary increased after the show became a hit, the report said. For Season 5, the actor was receiving as much as $125,000 per episode, totaling $2.25 million for the season.

The California native is estimated to be worth $500,000, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Smollett last appeared on "Empire" in Season 5 and was written out of the series due to the legal troubles he faced over his allegation that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

The actor was convicted of five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct in Chicago Thursday for the "false" police report he made on Jan. 29, 2019, in which he claimed he was attacked by two men who shouted slurs at him and placed a noose around his neck. He was acquitted on a sixth count, of lying to a detective in February that year, weeks after Smollett said he was attacked.

Chicago police earlier said that the actor staged the attack because he was unhappy with the salary he was getting on "Empire," but this was repeatedly denied by Smollett.

In addition to his acting pursuits, Smollett also has a music career. He co-wrote several songs for the soundtrack of "Empire," including "I Wanna Love You" and "You're So Beautiful."

In 2012, Smollett released his first EP album, "The Poisoned Hearts Club." Three years later, he signed a recording contract with Columbia Records. His debut studio album, "Sum of My Music," was released in 2018, through his own label Music of Sound.

Smollett bought in 2016 a 7,573-square-foot home in Los Angeles worth $1.69 million. He sold the property in July 2019 at a $30,000 loss.

Smollett publicly came out as gay in March 2015, during a televised interview with Ellen DeGeneres.