Fallen "Empire" star Jussie Smollett has defiantly declared he's "not a piece of s--t" after "gaining clarity" during his recent mini-prison stint — but many viewers of the 2022 BET Awards aren't ready to let him off the hook just yet. Smollett, 40, made his controversial return to the red carpet Los Angeles' Microsoft Theater after being sprung in March when he served only six days of his 150-day sentence in March for five counts of felony disorderly conduct at Cook County Jail in Chicago.