Jussie Smollett Responds After Charges Dropped: ‘I’ve Been Truthful’ Since Day One

“I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one.”

“Empire” actor Jussie Smollett addressed reporters at a press conference Tuesday after Cook County prosecutors dropped all charges against him earlier in the day.

In early March, a grand jury charged the actor with 16 felony counts of disorderly conduct for making a false report.

Smollett thanked supporters who stuck by him after his claims that he’d been the victim of a hate crime in January appeared to crumble. “I’ve been truthful and consistent on every level since day one,” he said. “I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I was accused of.”

WATCH: Jussie Smollett Crushed by President’s Unexpected Response to His Attack

“I am a man of faith, and I am a man that has knowledge of my history, and I would not bring my family, our lives, or the movement through a fire like this,” he added.

The black and gay star of Fox’s “Empire” TV show said that he would “continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere.”

“After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case,” a spokesperson for Cook County State Attorney’s office said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

Smollett had been represented by celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos. On Monday, Geragos was identified as a co-conspirator of lawyer Michael Avenatti in an alleged scheme by Avenatti to extort up to $25 million from athletic shoe giant Nike by threatening to release damaging information about that company.

Geragos has not been criminally charged in that case.

WATCH: Jussie Smollett Outside The Courthouse

Smollett was lambasted by an initially sympathetic public after police investigations cast serious doubt on his claim that he was assaulted by two masked men who called him racist and homophobic slurs and shouted “This is ‘MAGA’ country!” He reported the alleged incident to the Chicago Police Department on Jan. 29.

Police investigated the incident as a “possible hate crime,” and many other celebrities, activists, politicians, and journalists rushed to condemn not just the attackers but the supposed state of Trump’s America.

In February, two brothers, Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, told police Smollett orchestrated the attack after a threatening letter he arranged to be sent to him on the “Empire” set failed to attract enough attention. A video leaked to the press last month showed the two Nigerian-American brothers buying a red hat and masks in Uptown Chicago.

Later that month, Smollett was arrested and charged with staging the crime in an apparent effort to garner attention and sympathy. Fox would cut ties with the actor shortly after, removing him from the final two episodes of the season.

WATCH: Jussie Smollett’s Lawyer Speaks To The Press

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