Jussie Smollett wormed his way out in the end

What this episode is about

The piece recounts how Jussie Smollett’s conviction was overturned years later by the Illinois Supreme Court, detailing alleged political influence, procedural twists, and the controversial end where he avoided a formal admission of guilt while claiming the system’s flaws. It argues the outcome superficially exonerates him but leaves deeper questions about accountability and the lasting impact on his record.

Key takeaways

• Pay-to-play optics: courtroom theatrics often outrun due process, shaping perception while eroding substantive justice.
• From plea theater to real conviction: the system rewarded speed over accountability, until an audacious reexamination.
• Media-fueled innocence vs. prosecutorial recusal: power dynamics hinge on timing, access, and narrative control.
• Narcissism meets procedure: grandstanding defendants can trigger harsher penalties, highlighting the judge’s moral framing.
• Long shadows of a fake hate crime: one botched hoax can distort victims’ legitimacy and burden future cases.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jussie Smollett (Guest) · 5 min speaking
• Sarah Boon (Guest) · 1 min speaking
• Kim Fox (Guest) · 1 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Jamie Foxx, Jussie Smollett, Illinois Supreme Court, Harold Boon
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Narcissism, Jussie Smollett, Civil Rights, Jussie Smollett's grandmother
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Illinois Supreme Court, Ecstasy, Molly, Fetal position
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Harold Boon, Life sentence, Benson Boone
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Harold Boon, Life sentence, Ryan Seacrest

Notable quotes from "Jussie Smollett wormed his way out in the end"

• Let me set this up this Saga really is insane and one for the books so here we go 5 years ago February 2019 Jesse f AK the hate crime the first bizarre thing that happens is…

  about Jussie Smollett · at 0:49

• Becoming the special prosecutor and he looked at it for years it seemed like and came back that he thought how it all went down wasn't constitutional and so a new grand jury…

  about Robert Webb · at 3:44

• Hearing for 35 minutes brutally laid the smackdown on Jesse sat there with a covid mass trying to look dignified but the judge said all of the things that I think everybody wanted Jesse to hear that whole time he was saying you.

  about COVID-19 · at 4:43

• And I was in the s or in the comments of the video of the sentencing remarks someone was saying for someone like Jesse like a true real deal narcissist being humiliated in front of the people that.

  about Narcissism · at 6:47

• And drinking and being depressed and he'd have to have a friend come over and he'd sit in a fetal position in their arms and cry that he ruined his life and so you could see…

  about Fetal position · at 12:28

• Saying is the communication with the brothers was not the setup the hate crime it was to buy some like ecstasy or Molly or something so he was saying I do have some regrets that you know I had to admit that I was doing drugs.

  about Ecstasy · at 14:03

• Went through this trial and everything together and for judge cranic to just go and the sentence is O is as follows the court sentences you to life best of luck and it's so…

  about Harold Boon · at 18:52

• Their dream job would to be host a celebrity news show or like a celebrity gossip like a Ryan SE Crest like hey everybody welcome back to the celebrity 30 minutes here we go…

  about Ryan Seacrest · at 21:50

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jussie Smollett — Person · Core subject (referenced defendant/celebrity) · 2 mentions · first at 0:54
  The episode centers on the procedural history and public fallout of Jussie Smollett’s hate-crime hoax case, including the Illinois Supreme Court overturning his conviction and the narrator’s critique of his behavior and perceived narcissism.
• Harold Boon — Person · Secondary subject (referenced defendant in parallel case) · 7 mentions · first at 0:11
  Used as a parallel courtroom narrative to compare sentencing styles and perceived personality traits; the host frames her trial as a contemporaneous focus that delayed covering the Smollett update.
• Jamie Foxx — Person · Referenced public official (prosecutor) · 2 mentions · first at 1:02
  Presented as the lead prosecutor who recused herself due to alleged conflicts, setting up the episode’s narrative about unusual prosecutorial decisions and political connections.
  Go 5 years ago February 2019 Jesse f AK the hate crime the first bizarre thing that happens is the lead prosecutor Kim Fox has to recuse herself for conflict of interest…
• Robert Webb — Person · Referenced legal actor (special prosecutor) · 1 mention · first at 3:40
  Identified as the special prosecutor appointed after a retired judge’s filing; he re-examined the case and helped trigger new charges and a later trial.
• Benson Boone — Person · Referenced victim/figure in Sarah Boon case context · 1 mention · first at 18:24
  Mentioned as 'George' in the Sarah Boon discussion (e.g., 'George's family'), but the transcript does not provide a full name; the entity is included here only because the user listed it as a top entity.
  Can tell that she genuinely thought she was going to get Mercy she was going to go up there and blame George's family and blame George and talk about how she's a Survivor and…
• Jussie Smollett's grandmother — Person · Referenced family member (courtroom attendee) · 1 mention · first at 7:10
  Used to underscore the humiliation angle: the narrator highlights that Smollett’s grandmother was present during the judge’s harsh remarks.
  He had fooled is one of the worst things that can happen because Jess's grandma was there all these people that came to speak on Jess's behalf you know don't Jesse shouldn't have any jail time he's a good man and so his little Grandma's.
• Ryan Seacrest — Person · Referenced media figure (comparison point) · 1 mention · first at 21:56
  Invoked as an archetype of celebrity-news hosting to illustrate how Smollett’s scandal allegedly harmed his family’s showbiz prospects.

Companies & orgs

• Illinois Supreme Court — Organization · Key institution (deciding court) · 2 mentions · first at 0:11
  The court’s decision to overturn Smollett’s conviction is the episode’s main news hook and drives the discussion of double jeopardy and the earlier deal.
  Hey folks welcome back so late last year when everybody myself included was glued to the Sarah Boon trial the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the Jesse Smet conviction…
• Obama administration — Organization · Referenced political institution (connection point) · 1 mention · first at 1:21
  Mentioned as a source of alleged influence/communication connected to Kim Foxx’s recusal narrative, implying political ties around the early handling of the case.
  Is able to text the prosecutor and so she had communication with Jesse's sister and then also someone that worked high up in the Obama Administration the smallets are…

Products & tech

• Ecstasy — Product · Referenced illicit drug (claimed alternative explanation) · 1 mention · first at 14:06
  Mentioned as part of Smollett’s later claim that communications with the brothers were about buying drugs rather than staging the hoax.
• Molly — Product · Referenced illicit drug (claimed alternative explanation) · 1 mention · first at 14:06
  Paired with ecstasy as the substance Smollett referenced when discussing regrets and drug use in post-case interviews.
  Saying is the communication with the brothers was not the setup the hate crime it was to buy some like ecstasy or Molly or something so he was saying I do have some regrets that you know I had to admit that I was doing drugs.

Concepts & topics

• Narcissism — Concept · Analytical lens / core theme · 3 mentions · first at 6:31
  The narrator repeatedly interprets Smollett’s and Sarah Boon’s behavior through narcissism—especially humiliation, attention-seeking, and inability to accept responsibility.
• Life sentence — Concept · Key legal outcome (Sarah Boon sentencing) · 2 mentions · first at 19:02
  Central to the Sarah Boon segment: the judge’s terse pronouncement ('sentences you to life') is framed as impactful and psychologically fitting.
  Went through this trial and everything together and for judge cranic to just go and the sentence is O is as follows the court sentences you to life best of luck and it's so…
• Civil Rights — Concept · Referenced social/political concept · 1 mention · first at 7:24
  Raised to emphasize reputational harm and perceived hypocrisy: Smollett is described as having participated in civil-rights marches and being seen as a 'beacon' before the hoax.
  Jesse shouldn't have any jail time he's a good man and so his little Grandma's in there and a bunch of other people that he had done Civil Rights march with and done community…
• COVID-19 — Concept · Incidental contextual reference · 1 mention · first at 4:51
  Appears only as context for courtroom masking ('covid mask'), not as a substantive topic.
• Fetal position — Concept · Descriptive psychological/physical state · 1 mention · first at 12:32
  Used to depict Smollett’s reported depression and breakdowns after the scandal, contrasting with his claim of feeling 'happy' in jail.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:05 hey folks welcome back so late last year when everybody myself included was glued to the Sarah Boon trial the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the Jesse Smet conviction meaning old Jesse five years after he faked the stupid hate crime officially wormed his way out in the end not really it thoroughly and completely ruined his life but as far as the justice system goes and his permanent record he wormed his way out the interest in this case plummeted years ago I can't imagine this video does very well but it didn't feel right to cover the whole thing for five years and then not cover the bizarre ending so let me set this up this Saga really is insane and one for the books so here we go 5 years ago February 2019 Jesse f AK the hate crime the first bizarre thing that happens is the lead prosecutor Kim Fox has to recuse herself for conflict of interest because right off the bat she had communication with

1:11 Jesse's sister imagine you get caught doing something and your sister somehow is able to text the prosecutor and so she had communication with Jesse's sister and then also someone that worked high up in the Obama Administration the smallets are definitely connected with Chicago politics and it sounds like the tone of both of those Communications were let's make sure this all turns out all right for little Jesse if you know what I mean so Kim Fox has to recuse herself but she just gave the case to her right-hand man someone in her office and then the next bizarre thing that happened is all of a sudden in a puff of smoke the whole thing disappears and they say well because Jesse did some community service a while ago before the crime happened because he did some community service a while ago and is willing to Forfeit his $10,000 Bond that's sufficient and the whole thing is going away so essentially it

2:18 was a plea deal except he didn't have to admit guilt take any responsibility or have any of it on his permanent record so inside the courtroom nobody was talking about it like he was innocent it was this is sufficient enough to close the whole thing down but then his lawyers walk outside of the courtroom to do a press conference and immediately it was he's totally innocent and this whole thing was ridiculous which is a trend that we'll see as it goes on of inside the courtroom it's no one is debating whether he did it it's just whether you know if this is sufficient to pay back his debt to society and then they go right outside of the courtroom when all the news cameras are going and they deem his innocence and that he got totally screwed over okay so then it was just over and everyone was like wait that's it well a retired judge in Chicago that had watched that whole thing play out thought no I've never seen anything like

3:23 that so he or I think it was actually a she I don't know a retired judge made some filing requesting that the whole thing be reopened and a special prosecutor be appointed to relook at the whole thing to make sure what happened was just and so Dan Webb ended up becoming the special prosecutor and he looked at it for years it seemed like and came back that he thought how it all went down wasn't constitutional and so a new grand jury was formed and the case was brought in front of the new grand jury new charges were brought on Jesse Smet and there was a whole trial I still immed it wasn't filmed there was a juror on the trial that did an interview after Jesse was convicted that said Jesse going on and on up on the stand was insulting how stupid the whole thing was they couldn't believe it after barely deliberating it all he was charged and convicted and then I don't know a month or so later was the big sentencing

4:40 hearing and the judge in the sentencing hearing for 35 minutes brutally laid the smackdown on Jesse Jesse sat there with a covid mass trying to look dignified but the judge said all of the things that I think everybody wanted Jesse to hear that whole time he was saying you wrote this script it was a bad script that that was probably hard for Jesse to hear he goes you wrote this stupid bad script of this hate crime and one of my favorite parts that came out during the trial is so we paid the two brothers to come and like rough him up and the whole thing was you're going to come and rough me up a little bit punch me a little bit so I have a bruise and then you're going to put the Noose around my neck and bleach on me and so it's happening it's like 2:00 in the morning or something and they're faking it it's like theater they're pantam mining fighting a little bit but then a car comes and the two

5:42 brothers get scared and take off before they were able to put the Noose over Jess's neck so Jesse's sitting there on the ground it's freezing cold and he's sitting there on the ground but they didn't put the Noose on and so Jesse had to put the Noose around his own neck and the judge really hammered that home he said you put the Noose around your own neck you had to put the Noose around your own neck and then he really hammered it home saying you made a mockery of real hate crimes and you made it way harder for hate Crime Victims because of this whole stupid thing you cooked up to become more famous and he said you have some decent parts of your personality but you have profoundly narcissistic and arrogant parts of your personality and that came out during this so like I said for 35 minutes it is brutal sentencing remarks from the judge and I was in the s or in the comments of the video of the sentencing remarks

6:54 someone was saying for someone like Jesse like a true real deal narcissist being humiliated in front of the people that he had fooled is one of the worst things that can happen because Jess's grandma was there all these people that came to speak on Jess's behalf you know don't Jesse shouldn't have any jail time he's a good man and so his little Grandma's in there and a bunch of other people that he had done Civil Rights march with and done community service with and people that he really did have tricked that he was this great guy and a beacon of civil rights and would never do anything this dumb or evil and so to have to not only sit there and hear that from the judge for almost 40 minutes but to have all of those people that he had convinced that he was just this good guy and and he had really you know R them that he you know he would was never the type of person to do anything like this was beyond hard and you could tell

8:08 was beyond hard for Jesse to go through and probably has to be one of the worst moments or like chunks of time in his whole life and you know it was hard because after the judge was finally done you are profoundly arrogant and narcissistic and said all of the things Jesse didn't handle it well and when it came time for Jesse to speak he lashed out ridiculously and I ended up reading for like a whole day when narcissists get humiliated like that in front of the people that they have convinced they're great and I st I almost like watching Jesse would hear like a nature documentary narrator like the narcissist lashes out pathetically when humiliated and so the judge gets done and it's Jesse's time to talk and this is one of the you know most insane parts of the whole Saga Jesse pulls his covid mask down and goes I am not suicidal everyone's like what I am not suicidal he does it louder this time then he does it again I am not

9:27 suicidal and the tone the judge resp response to that is so funny the judge is like all right great and so anyway and again he goes I am not suicidal if something happens to me oh yeah the judge ended with giving him 150 days in jail that was the and $20,000 fine but the the main part was you get you're getting 150 days in jail he said the wheels of Justice grind slowly but at a certain point the hamers got to drop and that's today and you're getting $150 days in jail and his lawyers and Jesse the main thing the whole time was just to keep Jesse out of jail and so he's doing the I am not suicidal I am not suicidal it's almost like how R Kelly once they get backed into a corner just getting loud is the reaction so he's screaming it and then he goes if I did do this I would be sticking my fist in the fears of black people for the past 400 years sticking my fist it that can't be what he meant to

10:40 say did he flub the big line what he was going for it seems like a weird time to start ranting about fisting but he screams that if he did do it he would be sticking his fist in the fears of black people not sure what that means and he's going I am not suicidal and then they're like all right come with us and he's walking out he's got his fist in the air and he's yelling I am not suicidal and then as they take him out the door the final thing he yells is I could could have admitted I did this a long time ago which he sort of did way back when when he forfeited his $10,000 bond No One innocent is just going to give $110,000 away to the system that's jerking him around so he kind of already did but he's got the fist up he's talking about fisting and they take him away he does five days in jail and then his lawyers made some filing saying it's going to probably take longer to decide on the

11:45 appeal then he has jail time so we think he should be taken out of jail just until the appeal is is ruled on and then if it's upheld then he can go back to jail and finish the 150 days and but if it's not then then he wouldn't have to do jail time that he ended up wouldn't have to do and I couldn't believe it but that was granted so after five days in jail he was released again it was just would never happen to anybody else then he goes and does some interviews where he talks about how those five days in jail are the happiest he was for a really long time he said that he had just been sitting on the couch smoking and drinking and being depressed and he'd have to have a friend come over and he'd sit in a fetal position in their arms and cry that he ruined his life and so you could see why all of a sudden if you're just boozing and smoking and crying in the fetal position that you ruined your whole life and your family's

12:48 life then all of a sudden you're in jail you're clearheaded you feel like you're taking some responsibility you're thinking maybe I actually can get past that so he's talking about in this interview that he was like happy and felt great in jail and that they treated him with nothing but respect he didn't say anything like yeah I feel a little bit stupid for yelling that I'm not suicidal and thinking I'm some sort of epsteen type character that they're going to try to kill me it's like no one cares Jessy about you enough for anything like that to happen and it's just wild that you he could have an episode as totally outrageous and embarrassing like the I am not suicidal and he yelled about fisting and the whole thing and then in the interview says nothing about it not that he regrets it or he feels stupid most people would be like yeah now I remember when I was screaming I'm not suicidal I

13:47 feel a little bit dumb for that but you know we all make mistakes in this life but none of that and when he gets out he he was ready to admit some things like I did have a drug problem cuz what he was saying is the communication with the brothers was not the setup the hate crime it was to buy some like ecstasy or Molly or something so he was saying I do have some regrets that you know I had to admit that I was doing drugs and he said he regretted doing that interview back in 2019 and and just watching it it just made him he was mortified watching that interview and so they put the appeal in after you know he could have done probably two months in jail and the whole thing would have been done forever but he gets out after five days they put the appeal in all the way up to the Illinois Supreme Court it takes two more years and then like I said like a month or two ago December of 2024 the Illinois

14:56 Supreme Court overturned it essentially Double Jeopardy they said a deal is a deal and a deal was made all the way back with the community service and the forfeiting $10,000 and so a deal is a deal and for new charges to be brought back and for the whole trial to happen is just not right and so they overturn the conviction and then Jesse did a some interviews after that to promote a movie that he wrote and directed it got terrible reviews he was doing press for that movie and he said that the main reason that he spent I think $3 million on the defense of the whole thing and just fought tooth and nail not to have it on his record is pretty horrifying he didn't want to be a felon because he wants to adopt a kid and he didn't think it would happen if he had had the felonies on his record which is a totally horrifying thought someone that delusional I don't think should be able I shudder at the thought of an innocent

16:12 little child all of a sudden going into Jesse's delusional can't take responsibility world so that's how it ends but let me just put it in context so like I said that happened the final decision right as the Sarah Boon trial was cooking so I thought to myself I'm not going to do the Jesse molette video now there's no hurry really everybody including myself is just thinking about the Sarah Boon so I'm just going to keep my Sarah Boon coverage doing going and then I'll do this Jesse smette video I don't know some other time but I was working on it preparing for it slowly but surely as the the Sarah Boon trial is going and and I had watched the 35 minute brutal sentencing remarks from the Jesse smette judge and so as Sarah's trial I knew she was going to get convicted and so I was thinking you know I had watched the those sentencing remarks and so in my mind I was thinking oh Sarah's got it coming too it's a

17:22 satisfying day when these people finally get a smart well-spoken judge that understands the whole thing and puts some time in to think about it and then they just have to sit there and listen and it's probably the only time it can ever happen or will ever happen for people like this and so once Sarah was convicted I was thinking and was excited to hear these brutal sentencing remarks that the judge was going to do and so for maybe 10 or 15 minutes I was a little bit bummed out that judge cranck the judge in the Sarah Boon trial didn't do any sentencing remarks it was comically and hilariously short Sarah goes up and up on the stand for her sentencing remarks goes on and on even the edited version took a while and you can tell that she genuinely thought she was going to get Mercy she was going to go up there and blame George's family and blame George and talk about how she's a Survivor and you can just tell

18:32 and since then she wrote a letter where she actually came out and say it but she thought with every fiber of her soul she was going to get Mercy maybe at the most just the 15 years that were in the plea deal and that everybody was going to come on this journey with her that actually she's a Survivor and we all went through this trial and everything together and for judge cranic to just go and the sentence is O is as follows the court sentences you to life best of luck and it's so short and so like I said for like 10 or 15 minutes I was like ah we we all missed out on the therapeutic Smackdown of the judge's comments Sarah was probably the only time she is g to have to sit there and listen to actually what happened and he didn't do it but then as as time went on I watched that that moment over and over again sentenced to life best of luck to you it's so quick and it's almost genius that he

19:42 didn't give Sarah anything the type of person that Sarah is there's no way she would have heard it anything you would have said she would have flipped it in her mind to see you wanted to screw me over the whole thing is unfair and so there was a true genius to just giving her nothing the court sentences you to life best of luck and she's just sitting there and I like I said I it's it's a beautiful moment and she sits there for a while and you could tell it I mean imagine you think you're going to do the plea deal or you turn down the plea deal but you think you know they're not going to do life without parole if they all already offered the plea deal and then I do my sentencing remarks and I deem myself a survivor of course and to have just the quick smack over the head so as much as it's enjoyable to watch the JY type sentencing remarks that go on and on and really lay out the whole thing it

20:52 was there was something just beautiful about how quick and just that Sarah Sarah got it and then Sarah actually sent a letter after the sensing where she made a show of saying Mr cran IG instead of saying like judge or your honor and just saying that how unfair it was and he all and he the whole time he just wanted her to have life in prison and that her appeal speaks for itself and the whole thing and then there's one more Jessy story that he told in this interview that really sums up what a nightmare it would be to be friends with Jesse or to be in Jesse's family cuz Jesse has this big loving family and they really rallied around him and he he in a in a way ruined their lives too because at least a couple of them were also trying to make it in Showbiz and they were the type that I would say like their dream job would to be host a celebrity news show or like a celebrity gossip like a Ryan SE Crest like hey

21:59 everybody welcome back to the celebrity 30 minutes here we go and they had done some shows like that but now he's just ruined the smette name so thoroughly and completely that if you're thinking all right we need someone for this project or for this movie or for this show and there's a list of people who should we hire for the host or for the actor and Smets on there it's like I don't know should we should we bring that whole Dark Cloud over the project let's just not go with a smette he I don't even want that to be the headline that a smol let's in the project so I kind of do feel bad for his brothers and sisters but anyway Jess's told this it's the same way of like Sarah Boon telling one of the stories about her and George and she thinks it sounds a certain way and everybody is perceiving it the same way that she pictures it but it comes comes off as just so bad and narcissistic but Jesse

23:03 tells this story about how it was one of his siblings birthdays and they wanted to go out and have a good time and he insinuated that up and it for like months it had just been Jess's hate crime and what that had done to the family and it's so heavy and so much stress but everybody's standing and everybody just wanted to have a good night out go to a restaurant have some good food have a good time so picture it's your birthday and it's been a rough year cuz your brother's a that faked the hate crime and now your last name is is used to describe it means hate crime now or faking a hate crime and so you're thinking about all that but it's like you know what I just want to get dressed up go out have a good time and not think about the stupid hate crime for a few hours and so they all go out to this restaurant and Jess saying he said I accidentally Googled my name I don't believe that it was the first time

24:08 but he goes I accidentally Googled my name for the first time when we were at the restaurant and I shouldn't have done that because then he had a total meltdown and all of a sudden instead of his sibling special day we're not going to think about the stupid ha ground we're going to have a good time the night is young let's dance the night away all of a sudden uh Jesse Jesse Googled himself for the first time he's having a breakdown oh uh oh and all of a sudden everybody was huddled around Jesse he stole all the attention he stole the night away everyone's saying it's okay rubbing Jess's back and just think about what it must be like and Jesse is the one that told that story as if it it was like something to be proud of or something that other people could relate to and he just it doesn't he doesn't have the ability to think I made that totally about myself for no reason everybody wanted to not think about it

25:06 and I forced everybody to think about it and that's it that concludes the coverage of Jesse smette I'll see you next time I love you all why St and why sham

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Jussie Smollett wormed his way out in the end"?

Jussie Smollett (Guest), Sarah Boon (Guest), Kim Fox (Guest).

What is "Jussie Smollett wormed his way out in the end" about?

The piece recounts how Jussie Smollett’s conviction was overturned years later by the Illinois Supreme Court, detailing alleged political influence, procedural twists, and the controversial end where he avoided a formal admission of guilt while claiming the system’s flaws. It argues the outcome superficially exonerates him but leaves deeper questions about accountability and the lasting impact…

What is mentioned in this TRUE CRIME Loser episode?

16 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jussie Smollett, Illinois Supreme Court, Harold Boon, Narcissism, Jamie Foxx, Robert Webb. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Jussie Smollett wormed his way out in the end"?

The episode runs 25 min; the transcript is about 4,016 words in 23 timestamped sections.

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