Jussie Smollett Enters Rehab, Takes ‘Necessary Steps’ After ‘an Extremely Difficult Past Few Years'

The former 'Empire' star has maintained a relatively low profile following a hate crime hoax

Jussie Smollett is reportedly working to get his life back on track after a tumultuous series of public events.

TMZ reported Wednesday that the Empire star, 41, would be starting treatment at an outpatient rehab facility.

"Jussie has had an extremely difficult past few years. He has quietly been working very hard for some time now and we are proud of him for taking these necessary steps,” a rep for the actor said in a statement to TMZ.

Smollett’s rep and attorney have not responded to PEOPLE's requests for comment.

The statement did not specify what he is seeking treatment for. However, during his highly publicized trial in connection to a Jan. 29, 2019 incident, it was alleged by the Osundairo brothers — Abimbola "Bola" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo — that they provided Smollett with a variety of illegal substances.

Related: 'Empire' Creator Lee Daniels Says He's 'Beyond Embarrassed' by the Jussie Smollett Scandal

In March 2022, The Skinny actor was sentenced to jail time and probation for a hate crime hoax that he staged with the Osundairos, and for subsequently filing a false police report in connection to the incident. He received 30 months of felony probation, including the first 150 days spent in jail, and ordered to pay $120,106 in restitution and a $25,000 fine. He was released after less than a week in jail pending an appeal of the conviction, which is ongoing in the Illinois courts.

Smollett, a gay Black man, claimed that on Jan. 29, 2019, while on his way home from a Subway sandwich shop, two men attacked him late at night.

He claimed that the masked men yelled racist and homophobic slurs at him during the assault and also put a rope around his neck and doused him with bleach.

During the proceedings, Fox CEO Charlie Collier announced he would be nixing Smollett’s role of musical artist Jamal Lyon for Empire’s sixth and final season.

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Following the decision to no longer have him as a cast member on the series, Smollett’s Empire co-star Taraji P. Henson spoke in support of him on multiple occasions.

“We miss Jussie,” she said on the PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly Red Carpet Live: 2019 Emmy Awards pre-show. “He’s family to us. There’s no way we can throw five years of family away. I miss him.”

Throughout the trial, Smollett maintained his innocence.

"I am not suicidal, and if anything happens to me when I go [to jail], I didn't do it to myself and you must all remember that,” he told the court.

Less than a week after Smollett’s sentencing, it was announced that he would be released from jail as he appeals the conviction.

Court documents obtained by PEOPLE stated that the order was granted because "the defendant has been convicted on non-violent offenses" and that the court "will be unable to dispose of the instant appeal before the defendant would have served his entire sentence of incarceration."

At the time, one of Smollett’s attorneys, Tina Glandian of Geragos & Geragos, told PEOPLE, "We are gratified that Jussie will be back with his family and loved ones and look forward to a dispassionate review and reversal of the serial injustices visited upon him."

After keeping a relatively low profile following the hate crime hoax, Smollett attended his first red carpet appearance in years when he arrived at a screening of his directorial debut B-Boy Blues at the AMC Magic Johnson Harlem multiplex in New York City in November 2021.

Related: Queen Latifah Weighs in On the Jussie Smollett Case: 'Innocent Till Proven Guilty'

"To see all the love for the film is crazy beautiful. More to come while I catch up but to everyone who came out last night with so much love and community … on behalf of everyone @bboybluesthefilm, Thank you. We love y'all. Now to find a home for it so the whole world can see,” Smollett wrote on Instagram the following day.

In September, he appeared in court during oral arguments in his appeal.

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