NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Taraji Henson calls for the release of Jussie Smollett from a 150-day prison sentence.
On Sunday, the 51-year-old actress shared a lengthy image caption with her Instagram followers that read, “#FREEJUSSIE.”
“I’m not here to argue with you about his innocence, but we can agree that the punishment doesn’t fit the crime,” she began.
Taraji P. Henson calls for release of Jussie Smollett from 150-day jail sentence. (Getty)
“Emmett Till was severely beaten and ultimately killed for lying, and none of the people involved in his demise spent a day in jail, even after Caroline Bryant admitted her claims were false. No one was hurt or killed during Jussi’s test. already lost everything, EVERYTHING.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT IS IN PSYCHOLOGY IN COOK COUNTY JAIL, BROTHER SAYS
Henson concluded, “For me, as an artist, the inability to create is punishment enough in itself. He can’t get a job. No one in Hollywood would hire him, and again, as an artist who loves to create, this is a prison. I pray that he will be released and placed under house arrest and probation because that would be fair in this case. Please #freejussie.”
As soon as Henson shared her post, she disabled her comment section.
Henson receives backlash for comparing the Smollett case to the historic Emmett Till case. (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
When Henson mentioned Emmett Till, she caused outrage online.
In 1955, 14-year-old Till was brutally murdered for allegedly flirting with a white woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham. Donham never charged her with fabricating a statement.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Smollett began serving a 150-day prison sentence for staging a hate crime against himself while in separate custody from other inmates and under surveillance by surveillance cameras and an officer, prison officials said Friday.
Smollett began his 150-day prison term on remand and later transferred to a psychiatric hospital. (Cook County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Sheriff’s deputies immediately escorted Smollett to the Cook County Jail Thursday night after Judge James Lynn sentenced the gay black actor to 30 months’ probation, starting with a five-month jail sentence, for lying to police that he was a target. racist and homophobic attack.
CLICK HERE FOR FOX NEWS
Fox News Digital reported Sunday that Smollett was placed in a psychiatric ward at the Cook County Jail due to “risk of self-harm.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.