At an unannounced hearing March 26, prosecutors abruptly dropped all charges against Smollett with little explanation, sparking a firestorm of criticism and calls for Foxx’s resignation by the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police. Just weeks earlier, the “Empire” actor, who is African-American and openly gay, had been indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct alleging he staged a racial and homophobic attack on himself.