Jussie Smollett Puts a Ring on It: Celebrates 43rd Birthday with Engagement to Jabari Reed

Jussie Smollett embraced turning 43 with an engagement surprise for his boyfriend, Jabari Reed. Sharing intimate moments on Instagram, Smollett posted a sequence of photos showing him on bended knee, presenting Reed with a stunning ring. Subsequent pictures captured Reed’s emotional reaction and the couple sharing a heartfelt embrace.

In the post’s caption, Smollett wrote: “I’ll be spending my birthday with my Fiancé… He said YES.”

The exact start of their relationship hasn’t been disclosed, but it’s notable that both starred in “The Lost Holiday” in 2024, which Smollett directed. This project appears to have sparked something deeper between them.

Smollett continues to rebuild post-2019, when he claimed he was the victim of a homophobic, racially charged attack in Chicago. He later faced allegations that he paid two brothers $3,500 each to stage the incident, a claim Smollett denies. In November, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his hate-crime conviction on the grounds of rights violations. He subsequently donated $50,000 to a Chicago charity.

Now, with this engagement, Smollett steps into a new chapter, celebrating his personal life while pushing forward in his career.