Jussie Smollett has returned to social media for the first time since he was accused of faking an attack on himself.
The 'Empire' actor hasn't used Instagram since January 28 - the day before he reported being the victim of a racist and homophobic assault - but he broke his silence on Monday to express his "pride" in 'Choir Boy' playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney.
He shared a clip of a speech given by the writer at the Tony Awards on Sunday, in which he said: "... In 'Choir Boy,' set in the fictive Charles R. Drew Prep School for Boys, we chronicle the moment when a black queer kid, Pharus, tries to use their gift of song to uphold his great legacy of spirituals and the moment his community accepted his gift but diminished his light.
"The bodies that uphold the great legacy of spirituals are often black and queer. When will we love all of them for who they are, not just for what they can do?"
Jussie captioned the video: "So much #PRIDE (sic)"
View this post on Instagram
🙏🏾 @octarell_again 🙏🏾 So much #PRIDE
A post shared by @ jussiesmollett on Jun 10, 2019 at 9:48am PDT
The 36-year-old actor has been embroiled in scandal for several months after the Chicago Police Department claimed he had fabricated the attack and arrested him for filing a false police report and disorderly conduct.
However, in March the charges were suddenly dropped, but Jussie's suspension from 'Empire' continued and it was recently confirmed he wouldn't be returning for the sixth season of the musical drama, having been axed from the final episodes of the fifth series.
Jussie has repeatedly insisted he hasn't done anything wrong.
Speaking shortly after the charges were dropped, he said: "I've been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one.I would not be my mother's son if I was capable of one drop of what I've been accused of."