Janet Smollett, Jussie’s mother is the matriarch of the Smollett acting family and has become a notable mother of African American ethnicity. Among all her celebrity children, she is better known as Jussie’s mother, due to the fact that Jussie has generated lots of media attention recently.
The inspirational woman nurtured her children’s successful career by coaching them when they were small and has been their backbone of support all through. There is a strong family tie among the children of Janet Smollett as the family members are known to look out for one another even in their professional life. Janet Smollett is savouring the warm relationship she shares with her children. Only recently, Jussie took her on a trip to London to fulfil the promise he made to her a couple of years ago. He shared their photo on Instagram where he disclosed that they have started planning another trip to Ghana. Barely one month after the trip, her son Jussie was indicted for faking an assault on himself.
Jussie Smollett, whose popularity grew after his portrayal of musician Jamal Lyon in the 2005 Fox drama series Empire, was indicted on January 20, 2019, after it was discovered that he had staged a fake hate crime attack on himself and also filed a false police report.
However, Smollett’s defence team were able to reach an agreement with prosecutors in March 2019 and the charges against him were dropped in exchange for his performing community service and forfeiture of his $10,000 bond. The incident also cost him his place in the final two episodes of Empire productions.
Janet Smollett Biography
Meanwhile, Janet Smollett was born November 27, 1952, in New Orleans USA. Not much is known about her early life but she was known for her activism. She was an active member of the US civil rights movement alongside civil right fighters Huey Newton and Bobby Seals. She later met her husband Joel Smollett Senior, of Jewish and Polish origin in the Bay area where they campaigned for civil right. The couple raised their six children, Jussie Smollett, Jake Smollett, Jacqui Smollett, Jojo Smollett, Jurnee Smollett and Jazz Smollett, although Joel was occasionally absent from home. Joel, who was considered King and Guardian of the Smollett family, died on January 7, 2015, at the age of 58 after a long battle with cancer.
Moreover, Janet’s activism has rubbed off on her children who are outspoken politically and have since their school years been involved in such causes as HIV/ AIDS advocacy, ending apartheid and the Black lives matter movement.
In the Smollett household, singing and dancing, as well as poetry reading were standard entertainment at birthdays and mother’s day. Janet Smollett led her children down the entertainment line, shuttling between New York and Los Angeles in search of opportunities in modelling, music and acting. With Janet as her Children’s acting coach, the family secured a place in the short-lived ABC’s 1994 sitcom, On our own.
In the show, which featured Comedian Ralph Louis Harris, the Smollett kids appeared as the Jericho kids who were left alone after the death of their parents in a car crash. It lasted for only one season before it was cancelled, but it was enough to put them on the entertainment map and some of the children has gone on to become actors including Jussie and Jurnee Smollett. Jussie has been acting from childhood and has appeared in North and the Mighty ducks, but his most popular role was in Empire where he was portrayed as Jamal Lyon.
Besides acting, Jussie has a number of musical projects, such as the EP, the poisoned hearts club and singles such as Hurt people and freedom. Jurnee has also starred in movies such as Temptations: Confession of a marriage counselor, the Parenthood, Underground and True Blood. She is married to Josian Bell and has a son.
Janet Smollett’s other children Jake is a chef and actor, while Jazz is an actress, producer, blogger and social media personality. she is married to Troy Warwell and they have a daughter. Jacqui is the youngest child of Janet Smollett, he is an actor, DJ and technologist while Jojo the oldest, works at a non-profit.
Family meals were important in the Smollett’s home, according to Jussie in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. The family would gather around a wooden table that was made from scratch by Janet Smollett, to share their happiness or frustration. The matriarch of the Smollett family is a great cook and often prepares special dinners in honour of the family and its accomplishments.
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Therefore, in order to make their mother better known to the world, she and her children published her recipes in a cookbook, titled ‘The family table, Recipes and moments from a Nomadic life’, which was released in 2018. It featured her recipes as well as stories from her life and her family experiences.
Moreover, Janet Smollett, Jussie’s mother has had her fair share of controversy. At one point, it was rumoured that she was related to US Senator Kalama Harris, simply because her maiden name was Harris which turned out to be completely false as Smollett is in no way related to the US senator.
