Jussie Smollett<\/a> had career alternatives after being arrested for allegedly staging a racist hate crime<\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n The former Empire<\/em><\/a> actor was charged by Chicago police just weeks after the incident in February 2019, which led to Smollett being suspended from the hit Fox series. The entertainer was ultimately sentenced to 150 days in jail and ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, but in November 2024, the conviction was overturned<\/a>, with Smollett paying $10,000 and doing community service.<\/p>\n Nearly two months after the release of the Netflix documentary The Truth About Jussie Smollett?<\/em><\/a>, the actor was a guest on Kandi Buruss<\/a>‘ Speak on It <\/em>podcast. Around the hour-mark of the video below, Smollett was asked if he had fear that the incident would “end” his career.<\/p>\n “Hell yeah. Absolutely. I was looking for other things to do,” he told Burruss. “I’m just like, ‘Forget this.'”<\/p>\n COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n “I don’t know. I’ll become a tap dancer or a teacher or a nanny, something\u2013an au pair<\/em>, a governess, you know. I don’t know. A stripper,” he said. “You know, I got the moves.”<\/p>\n Smollett added that he felt “angry at celebrity culture” after everything went down. “It’s just like, ‘This is crap. This is bull. Fame is not real. It is not real,'” he continued. “‘Cause people telling you that they love you one minute and they don’t love you the next and all of this type of stuff. It was just a lot.”<\/p>\n “So, I certainly thought about…but I’m okay with acknowledging that not only do I love doing what I do, but my ego won’t let some bull run me out of my life,” he added.<\/p>\n Smollett has stood firm on his 2019 claim<\/a>, and told Variety<\/em><\/a> in an August article that he “never” changed his story.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single other person\u2019s story has changed multiple times. Mine has never. I have nothing to gain from this,\u201d he told the publication.<\/p>\n ComplexCon returns to Las Vegas on October 25\u201326, 2025, with over 300 brands and live performances by Young Thug, YEAT & Friends, Peso Pluma, Central Cee, Ken Carson, and more.\u00a0Get your tickets now<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a> Jussie Smollett Claims He Was ‘Disrespected’ on the ‘Special Forces’ Season Premiere<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ,<\/p>\n <\/a> Jussie Smollet Stands by Account of Attack, Says His Story Has ‘Never’ Changed<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n ,<\/p>\n <\/a> Jussie Smollett Proposes to Partner Jabari Reed: ‘He Said Yes’<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Angel Reese Wants to Hire an Acting Coach While She’s Still Young: ‘Adding to the Resum\u00e9’<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n Bernice Burgos Says Her Love Life Stays Offline After the Video Vixen Era<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\nRelated News<\/h3>\n
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