Schokkende beelden (tijdlijn).

Smollett, die al gewoon weer aan het werk is op de set van Empire, blijft er vooralsnog bij dat hij onschuldig is en geslachtofferd wordt door het systeem. "Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system. The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing." Zin in Roseanne nu.