Jussie Smollett, who faked a hate crime against himself in Chicago, was sentenced Thursday. Smollett was found guilty back in December, after he conspired with two men to make it seem as if Trump supporters had attacked him and tied a noose around his neck at 2:00 AM, in the middle of a polar vortex.

While he received an initial outpouring of support, including from Vice President Kamala Harris, it quickly became apparent that his story wasn’t adding up. Why was he out after midnight getting a sandwich in sub-zero temperatures? Why didn’t he call the police right away? Why did he leave the noose on until police got there? Why was he largely uninjured, if he had been beaten as described? Why did he refuse to turn over his phone? Why would there be Trump supporters prowling in the middle of a polar vortex in one of America’s most liberal cities?

Still, Smollett probably could have just shut his mouth and avoided any further scrutiny, but he had the audacity to trash the Chicago PD for not “solving” his case while claiming racism. That set off an investigation and prosecution, which was first scrapped by far-left DA (and friend of Michelle Obama) Kim Foxx. Eventually, a special prosecutor took over the case, and the rest is history.

That brings us to Thursday’s sentencing. Smollett received 150 days in jail, and then had an absolute meltdown before being escorted out of the courtroom.

Convicted hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett puts up the black power fist and yells about being innocent as he is walked out of court after being sentenced to jail time. Outside, his family said he’s a victim & is innocent. #HateHoax pic.twitter.com/n3M6Bc1R39

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) March 11, 2022

There are two ways to look at this, and perhaps both played a part in Smollett’s big performance.

Obviously, this is not a man who is well. His behavior has been exceptionally erratic and irrational since this saga began. The way he faked the hate crime was really dumb and not thought out. For him to then push the issue with the police, accusing them of racial bias, was even dumber. Then once he got to trial, instead of showing some humility, he treated the entire process with no respect whatsoever. Now, he’s going to jail for his trouble.

Past that, I think Smollett knows that he has to flamboyantly maintain his innocence if he ever wants to act again. He believes that Hollywood will welcome him back with open arms as a social justice warrior and victim of the system, as long as he doesn’t admit guilt. That courtroom meltdown was the work of a man who is mentally unstable, but it was also the work of a man who is still trying to manipulate others for personal gain, having learned no lessons whatsoever from his ordeal.

Smollett’s gamble will likely pay off, too. When he gets out of jail, it’s just a matter of time before the sympathetic profiles come out and he lands another acting job. For the moment, though, justice has been served, whether Smollett wants to admit it or not.