Jussie Smollett has broken off his engagement with Jabari Redd.
TMZ revealed the split, with sources telling the outlet that Smollett ended things with Redd within the last few weeks. Smollett reportedly wants to move on and work on his music career.
Smollett proposed to Redd last June. The former Empire actor later took to Instagram, sharing photos of himself surprising Reed with an engagement ring. The first photo shows Smollett on bended knee, followed by shots of Reed reacting emotionally and the couple embracing.
"I’ll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé… He said YES,” Jussie wrote.
While it’s unclear when they started dating, the former couple were costars in the 2024 drama The Lost Holliday, which Smollett also directed.
The actor has slowly begun to rebuild his career after allegedly staging a homophobia-motivated attack on himself in January 2019. While in Chicago, Smollett claimed he'd been a victim of a hate crime by two men, who called him slurs and threw bleach on him. It was later alleged that Smollett paid two brothers $3,500 each to plot the hoax, although the actor has denied any wrongdoing.
In November 2024, Smollett's hate crime conviction was tossed out by the Illinois Supreme Court over a violation of rights, with the actor agreeing to pay $50,000 to a Chicago charity.
While the 43-year-old is known for his acting, he has also dabbled in music, releasing his debut R&B album, Sum of My Music, via his own label, Music of Sound, in March 2018.
