He was released on bond after just six days, however, and later, his conviction was actually overturned because charges against Smollett had initially been dropped as long as he did community service, only to be re-established; the Illinois Supreme Court stated his earlier agreement should have been honored, and the charges should not have been brought against Smollett again. Smollett continues to maintain his innocence, including in a recent documentary about the attack.
He claims he was attacked not by the two men who were arrested for the crime (who later claimed he’d paid them to perpetrate it), but by two entirely different men.
Related: 13 Female Celebrities Who Got Extremely Real About Their Plastic Surgery Experiences And Regrets
Mortenson said he befriended the men in the photo for his own safety and maintained that they had “detained” him.
“I stand by the stories. The stories happened, but … not in the sequence or the timing,” he told TODAY. “I’d also like to apologize to everybody. I let a lot of people down.”
Barton apologized for the alleged bullying online, writing, “I’m learning, growing and taking steps to interrogate my own internalized racism. Anger has always been my shield, but vulnerability is the only way I will ever learn to grow.” However, they later said the apology was only made because “their team asked them to.”
Related: 17 Actors Who Said “No” To Nudity And Sex Scenes Out Of Respect For Their Partners, Families, Religion, And More
Oh, and there was also a death hoax, but it’s unclear who the perpetrator was. Seiter claimed he was hacked and that a relative “fairly high up” in Silicon Valley assisted him in retaking his account, along with tech-savvy friends.
Related: I’ll Never Look At McDonald’s Coffee The Same Way Again After Learning About What They Did, And 22 Other Wild Facts
Related: Sorry, Unless You’re A Millennial, I Doubt You’ll Be Able To Identify These 20 Celebrities From The 1990s
Lochte ended up getting suspended and leaving the Olympics over the scandal. He was also charged with filing a false police report, though the charge was later dismissed.
Also in Celebrity: 38 Out-Of-Touch Celebrity Moments That Screamed, “It’s One Banana, Michael, How Much Could It Cost? $10?”
Also in Celebrity: 13 Celebs Who’ve Been Using Stage Names All This Time, And The Reasons Why Are Fascinating
Also in Celebrity: If You Get 21/30 On This Music Quiz About Women In Pop Music, Then You Truly Know Your Stuff!!!
