50 Cent Reacts to Jussie Smollett’s Harlem Pride Performance: ‘LOL’

50 Cent had some thoughts on former Empire star Jussie Smollett performing as part of the Harlem Pride events on Saturday (June 27)

Smollett was a performer during Harlem Pride’s “17 Shades of Pride” celebration at West Harlem’s 12th Avenue waterfront on Saturday. It was his first live performance as a singer in eight years, and he performed in a white tank top with dancers backing him. He performed a series of tracks, including material from his latest studio album, My Party. The actor and singer has been mostly out of the public eye ever since he was convicted in 2022 for staging a hate crime against himself in 2019.

“I told you POWER was the shit, but no you want to watch Empire,” 50 Cent joked in a post on Instagram alongside the footage of Smollett performing. “Now look this is all your fault. LOL.”

COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.

50 Cent has long been a proponent of Power being a better series than Empire, a debate that raged online as the two shows aired around the same time. Considering 50 Cent is a producer on Power and all its subsequent spin-offs and sequel series, it’s no surprise that he’s used Smollett’s recent resurfacing to resurrect the debate.

50 Cent has often taken the opportunity to clown Smollett, too, reacting on social media when the actor was charged with a felony for filing a false police report. The charges against him were dropped later in 2019, but Smollett was indicted again in 2020 on six counts of felony disorderly conduct. In 2021, he was found guilty of five of the six counts, and in 2022, he was sentenced to 150 days in county jail and 2.5 years on probation. The conviction was reversed in 2024, and he paid $10,000 in fines and served community service for all the charges to be dismissed.

When Smollett was sentenced, 50 Cent reacted to Smollett’s dramatic outburst in court. “I did not do this and I am not suicidal and if anything happens to me when I go there, I did not do it to myself and you must all know that,” said Smollett after he was sentenced. “Your honor, I respect you and I respect your decision, but I did not do this and I am not suicidal. If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, and you must all know that.”

50 Cent trolled the actor by sharing the clip and suggesting that he’ll be quoting him next time he gets a parking ticket. “If I ever go to court again, I don’t care if it’s for a parking ticket, I’m gonna say this,” he joked. “This fool is crazy, I knew he was lying from the beginning.””