Who Is Jocqui Smollett? New Details About Jussie Smollett's Youngest Brother
The Smollett family is under a lot of pressure.
Hosted App Jussie Smollett's siblings voiced their support for the Empire star, who was reportedly a victim of a homophobic and racist attack although the media is questioning the truth to his story. Even more so now that he was named a suspect for making a false statement, according to the police.
"Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false police report (Class 4 felony),” Chicago Police Department spokesman Anthony Guglielmi wrote in a tweet.
Two of Jussie's five siblings, Jocqui Smollett and Jurnee Smollett-Bell, made it clear they are on his side and blamed the media for being "irresponsible." Both posted a photo of Malcolm X on Instagram along with a quote from the civil rights leader:
"This is the media, the irresponsible media. It will make the criminal look like he's the victim and make the victim look like he's the criminal. If you aren't careful, the media will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing."
So who is Jussie's brother, Jocqui Smollett? Here's what we know.
1. He fully supports Jussie.
Jocqui has taken to social media to voice his support for his brother in this difficult time.
"This is nothing new. These sort of scare tactics and domestic terrorism have been used by cowards for centuries in an effort to control, silence, and dampen the lives of marginalized peoples," he captioned a photo of the six siblings on Instagram on Feb. 1. "Surviving is in JUSSIE’S BLOOD and his light nor that of our family’s shall be dimmed. Again, we shall do as we’ve been doing the best we know how: heal, continue building, and march forward in the name of accountability and righteousness."
2. He's the youngest of the Smollett family.
Joqui was born on Aug. 2, 1994, making him the youngest of the Smolletts. He is currently 24.
His older siblings include Jojo Smollett, 41, Jazz Smollett, 38, Jussie Smollett, 36, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, 32, and Jake Smollett, 29.
3. He appeared in his first show at age 5.
Jocqui was just 5 years old when he got his start on TV. He starred in the TV series On Our Own in 1994-1995. All six of the Smollett siblings were cast as a family that lived in St. Louis. The show portrayed the drama surrounding their on-screen parents' tragic deaths.
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4. He starred in Smollett Eats.
The Smollett family was back on TV in 2016, this time on The Food Network, with their hit series Smollett Eats, which was based on the foodie fam's love for a good meal.
Jocqui and his five siblings displayed their abilities to cook as well as entertain during the 30-minute episodes, where they can be seen working together to create full menus and even competing against each other.
5. He founded an event planning app.
Smollett is CEO and founder of Hosted, an app designed to "revolutionize the way we plan." Hosted serves as "an ecosystem of venues for productions and parties, DJs, catering services, artists and everyday people who enjoy event planning." He, along with COO Shiku Muhire, launched the app in 2017.
According to the app's website, Smollett came up with the idea while trying to plan his 23rd birthday. The whole process was complicated and even discriminatory and he wanted to create a better and simpler way to party plan.
Sarah Gangraw writes about all things news, entertainment and crime. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter.