Accused in 2019 of staging an elaborate hate crime hoax, actor Jussie Smollett will be back in the public eye as his legal appeal winds its way through the courts, Red Banyan Vice President Kelcey Kintner told Fox News. Revisiting the troubling details of his case will continue to tarnish Smollett’s already compromised reputation, she noted.

“The appeal process is absolutely hurting his ability, at least in the short term, to make a comeback because it’s dragging out the story considerably. All the accusations of Smollett faking this crime are back in the press and getting rehashed again,” Kintner told Fox News Digital. “When anyone is in the middle of a crisis, it’s far better, if possible, to address it, take responsibility as needed and then move on. You don’t want to keep putting out new developments in the story.”

Smollett, who is Black and gay, told Chicago police in January 2019 that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack by two men wearing ski masks. Smollett’s claim fell apart after a police investigation determined he had fabricated the entire story.

Kintner, a crisis communications expert, told Fox News that Smollett may “actually be hirable” if he wins the appeal. However, winning the appeal may not be enough to overcome the way he is viewed by the public, she added.

“There’s a big difference between winning an appeal and convincing the public that he’s innocent in all this. A legal win doesn’t mean that public perception will be immediately changed,” Kintner said.

Read the entire article here.