Midwest
Perez Hilton says Jussie Smollett decision won't help 'tanked' career: Court didn't dispute hate crime hoax
Pop culture expert and crime buff Perez Hilton says the Illinois Supreme Court’s Jussie Smollett decision didn’t dispute the accusations against him when it let him go from prison. It just ruled on a technicality.
And that may not help revive the disgraced actor’s “tanked” career.
“Unfortunately for Jussie Smollett, this won’t do him much good,” Hilton said. “Even though it has spared him from any time behind bars – so it literally did him good in that sense – but he wasn’t going to spend that much time locked up anyways.”
Smollett, who is Black and gay, initially told Chicago police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks in January 2019. Then two brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, said they were the masked men and that they helped Smollett pull off a hoax.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT CONVICTION OVERTURNED BY ILLINOIS SUPREME COURT
Smollett was convicted on five of six charges of disorderly conduct. (Nuccio DiNuzzo)
Kim Foxx, a progressive Democrat district attorney who oversaw the initial case, dropped the hoax charges against Smollett as part of an agreement in which he forfeited his bail money and was told to do community service. But he was later indicted by a grand jury with a special prosecutor on the case, tried and convicted.
People are going to see the headline, gloss over the details and continue to keep their opinions of him, Hilton said.
Special prosecutor Dan K. Webb blasted the court’s decision as “unprecedented.”
Hilton, like Webb, noted that the court didn’t address the allegations or throw out the evidence that Smollett conducted a hoax and then led Chicago police to waste limited resources trying to solve a hate crime that didn’t happen.
Hear more from Perez Hilton on the Jussie Smollett decision:
JUSSIE SMOLLETT’S CAREER HAS ‘HIT BOTTOM’ DESPITE MAINTAINING INNOCENCE OVER HATE CRIME HOAX: EXPERT
“Today’s decision is only possible because of the unprecedented resolution of Mr. Smollett’s initial case by the Cook County State’s Attorneys’ Office (CCSAO) in March 2019, which the Illinois Supreme Court determined barred Mr. Smollett from any further prosecution,” Webb said in a statement.
“The Illinois Supreme Court reached this decision notwithstanding the fact that the CCSAO dismissed the initial Smollett case via a nolle prosequi, which does not bar re-prosecution under Illinois law, and Mr. Smollett’s own lawyers told the public immediately following the dismissal of his initial case in March 2019 that there was ‘no deal’ with the CCSAO.”
This booking photo provided by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office shows Jussie Smollett. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office via AP/File)
Some legal experts agreed with the court’s finding.
James Scozzari, a Michigan-based defense attorney who handles cases in multiple Midwest states, said it’s similar to what happened with disgraced actor Bill Cosby, when he was released from a Pennsylvania prison for similar reasoning.
Cosby had entered a non-prosecution agreement with a Philadelphia district attorney only to have another one bring charges against him over the same accusations.
Brothers Olabinjo Osundairo, right, and Abimbola Osundairo appear outside the Leighton Criminal Courthouse in Chicago on Feb. 24, 2020. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
“Similar to the Cosby reversal, the DA initially agreed to non-prosecution dismissal in exchange for Smollett giving up his bond money,” Scozzari told Fox News Digital. “Refiling the case violated that agreement, hence double jeopardy.”
Smollett’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, said it boiled down to whether the state has a responsibility to honor its agreements in court.
“We hold that a second prosecution under these circumstances is a due process violation and we, therefore, reverse the defendant’s conviction,” he said.
Read the ruling:
BILL COSBY’S LAWYER ASKS SUPREME COURT NOT TO REVIVE HIS SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE
“Justin Smollett’s career has tanked, and I don’t see that changing as a result of this outcome,” he said.
Still, Hilton said, people shouldn’t be canceled “forever.”
He shared some advice for Smollett, if he has the work ethic to hit the ground running.
“He doesn’t need a ton of money,” Hilton said. “He just needs the work ethic and the ideas, and if he has that, he can make things happen.”
But he’d be wise to let other people be the face of his projects, he added.
“He should be making these projects for others to star in and not as vehicles for himself,” he added. “So I think my suggestion would be, be a creative behind the scenes, and you can hopefully still be fulfilled and monetizing that way.”
Fox News’ Lauryn Overhultz and Matt Finn contributed to this report.
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The South Dakota Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 5, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
04-18-24-51-56, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
02-07-08-21-45, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto America numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
12-19-21-30-47, Star Ball: 05, ASB: 03
Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $100 or less: Can be claimed at any South Dakota Lottery retailer.
- Prizes of $101 or more: Must be claimed from the Lottery. By mail, send a claim form and a signed winning ticket to the Lottery at 711 E. Wells Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
- Any jackpot-winning ticket for Dakota Cash or Lotto America, top prize-winning ticket for Lucky for Life, or for the second prizes for Powerball and Mega Millions must be presented in person at a Lottery office. A jackpot-winning Powerball or Mega Millions ticket must be presented in person at the Lottery office in Pierre.
When are the South Dakota Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Dakota Cash: 9 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Dakota editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Manuel Franco claims his $768 million Powerball jackpot
Manuel Franco, 24, of West Allis was revealed Tuesday as the winner of the $768.4 million Powerball jackpot.
Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Wisconsin Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Jan. 5, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Powerball numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
04-18-24-51-56, Powerball: 14, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
Midday: 2-8-1
Evening: 7-0-8
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
Midday: 0-9-4-5
Evening: 1-5-0-6
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning All or Nothing numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
Midday: 01-03-04-05-06-07-11-12-14-16-17
Evening: 01-03-10-11-12-13-14-15-17-20-21
Check All or Nothing payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Badger 5 numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
04-07-18-21-23
Check Badger 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning SuperCash numbers from Jan. 5 drawing
01-03-08-25-29-36, Doubler: N
Check SuperCash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
- Prizes up to $599: Can be claimed at any Wisconsin Lottery retailer.
- Prizes from $600 to $199,999: Can be claimed in person at a Lottery Office. By mail, send the signed ticket and a completed claim form available on the Wisconsin Lottery claim page to: Prizes, PO Box 777 Madison, WI 53774.
- Prizes of $200,000 or more: Must be claimed in person at the Madison Lottery office. Call the Lottery office prior to your visit: 608-261-4916.
Can Wisconsin lottery winners remain anonymous?
No, according to the Wisconsin Lottery. Due to the state’s open records laws, the lottery must, upon request, release the name and city of the winner. Other information about the winner is released only with the winner’s consent.
When are the Wisconsin Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Super Cash: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Day): 1:30 p.m. CT daily.
- All or Nothing (Evening): 9 p.m. CT daily.
- Megabucks: 9:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday and Saturday.
- Badger 5: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
That lucky feeling: Peek at the past week’s winning numbers.
Feeling lucky? WI man wins $768 million Powerball jackpot **
WI Lottery history: Top 10 Powerball and Mega Million jackpots
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Wisconsin editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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President Donald Trump’s Justice Department is demanding records from Minnesota related to its voter registration practices, raising concerns about the state’s same-day “vouching” policy.
The policy allows a registered voter to “vouch” for up to eight people seeking same-day registration, and it has come under fresh scrutiny amid broader concerns about election integrity in the wake of Minnesota’s massive welfare fraud scandal.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote to Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon on Friday, requesting unredacted records covering the March 2024 primary and the November 2024 general election.
Dhillon called on the state to hand over digital records related to same-day registrations, votes cast by same-day registrants and audit and compliance records under the Help America Vote Act (HAVA).
TRUMP OFFICIAL FREEZES MILLIONS IN SBA AID TO MINNESOTA, SLAMS WALZ’S POLICIES AS BREEDING ‘ENDEMIC’ FRAUD
The Minnesota State Capitol building. The U.S. Justice Department has written to the state demanding records related to Minnesota’s same-day voter registration practices amid concerns about the state’s same-day “vouching” policy. (Steve Karnowski)
“The basis and purpose of this demand is to ensure Minnesota’s registration and voting practices are in compliance with federal law, particularly the minimum requirements under HAVA,” Dhillon wrote in the letter she shared on X.
“The Department of Justice is particularly concerned with votes and registrations accepted on the basis of ‘vouching’ from other registered voters or residential facility employees, as well as other same-day registration procedures.”
Minnesota’s election system has drawn scrutiny after legislation signed by Gov. Tim Walz in 2023 that provided for “Driver’s Licenses for All,” allowing state-issued licenses regardless of immigration status. The policy also stipulates that the licenses carry no markings indicating citizenship, even though such IDs are among the forms of identification accepted during voter registration.
Minnesota law separately allows same-day voter registration through a process known as “vouching,” under which a registered voter can attest to the residency of up to eight other voters who want to register on Election Day and do not present qualifying identification.
According to an official fact sheet from the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office, the registered voter must accompany the person or people to the polling place and sign an oath verifying a home address.
MINNESOTA FRAUD COMMITTEE CHAIR CLAIMS WALZ ‘TURNED A BLIND EYE’ TO FRAUD WARNINGS FOR YEARS
A sign outside a polling place in Minneapolis. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon has cited concerns about the state’s vouching policy that allows one voter verify residency for eight others. (Stephen Maturen)
“A registered voter can vouch for up to eight voters. You cannot vouch for others if someone vouched for you,” the department said in the fact sheet.
Residents who are not vouched for and who want to vote on the same day must provide at least one form of identity verification, including a valid Minnesota driver’s license or learner’s permit, a receipt for either or a tribal identification card that includes a photo and signature.
So long as the prospective voter can prove residency, the proof of ID can include a driver’s license or learner’s permit from any state, a passport, an expired ID, a military ID or a Minnesota college or high school identification card.
If a person is registered to vote in a precinct but changed his name or moved within the precinct, the voter may still vote after informing the precinct election judge of a previous name or address.
The “vouching” policy was signed into law by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. (Getty Images)
Simon’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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Dhillon’s move was praised by Republican activist Scott Presler, who leads voter registration efforts nationwide.
“WOW! This is huge. Thank you so, so much,” Presler wrote in response to Dhillon’s X post sharing her letter.
Read the full article from Here
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