Smollett reacts to the rapper’s criticism for his Harlem Pride performance in an exclusive statement to EW.

Jussie Smollett hits back after 50 Cent criticizes Pride performance: ‘Hope he had a happy Pride’ (exclusive)

Smollett reacts to the rapper's criticism for his Harlem Pride performance in an exclusive statement to EW.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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June 29, 2026 4:56 p.m. ET

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Jussie Smollett and 50 Cent. Credit:

Amanda Edwards/Getty; Candice Ward/Getty

- In an exclusive statement to **, Jussie Smollett has responded to 50 Cent mocking his comeback performance.

- Smollett performed in Harlem over the weekend.

- The rapper made reference to past competition between *Power* and *Empire.*

Jussie Smollett has reacted to rapper 50 Cent mocking his comeback Pride performance in Harlem over the weekend.

"We hope he had a happy Pride…" the *Empire* actor's publicist, Pamela Sharp, told * *upon outreach for comment on 50 Cent's criticism. (EW has reached out to representatives for 50 Cent for a response.)

Smollett returned to the stage over the weekend, where he performed a Pride set in Harlem. 50 Cent subsequently lashed out on Sunday via social media with a reference to his *Power* TV series, which once competed for viewership with *Empire*.

Jussie Smollett on 'Empire'.

Chuck Hodes/FOX

"See I told you *POWER* was the s---," the 50-year-old rapper wrote in the caption of his Instagram post, referencing his 2014-2020 series underneath a video of Smollett, 44, performing on stage.

50 Cent continued, "No you want to watch *Empire*. Now look this is all your fault. LOL."

The "In Da Club" performer has long criticized Smollett over the years, having previously jabbed the actor and singer for referring to himself as the "gay Tupac" in 2019. His latest criticism came seven years after the latter became embroiled in a complex and controversial legal battle over an alleged hate crime hoax in Chicago.

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Smollett was accused of staging what was initially reported as a racist and homophobic hate crime against him. (He came out as gay in 2015.) Smollett claimed that two assailants violently assaulted him, alleged that they yelled "MAGA" at him, and placed a rope around his neck.

The Chicago Police Department eventually found evidence suggesting Smollett staged the incident, though the actor denied the accusations and filed a countersuit against the city. He was ultimately indicted by a grand jury on 16 felony charges, which were dropped after the star made a deal with the prosecution.

Smollett was later convicted, after a special prosecutor stepped in, and was sentenced to 30 months of felony probation — 150 days of which would be served in jail. He was also ordered to pay $120,000 in restitution and a $25,000 fine to the city. In March 2022, an appeals court granted his release.**

50 Cent and Jussie Smollett.

Jason Mendez/Getty; John Nacion/Getty

In 2025, Smollett settled a lawsuit from Chicago officials, after the city said it spent $130,000 on the investigation into a hate crime it alleged was staged.

Since then, Smollett largely scaled back his on-screen appearances, though he did join the celebrity competition series *Special Forces* and served as the subject of Netflix's 2025 documentary *The Truth About Jussie Smollett.*

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Appearing on *The Breakfast Club* in 2024, filmmaker and *Empire* co-creator Lee Daniels said he'd work with Smollett again in the future.

"He was a son to me. And he also represented me. And he also represented the movement that I tried to start, which I didn't know I was starting," said Daniels at the time. "I was so busy, worried about Cookie's hat and the music that we were playing [on *Empire*]."****

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