She is best known for the role of Jess Merriweather on the critically acclaimed television series Friday Night Lights. in casting the role, writer-director Kasi Lemmons envisioned “a light-skinned black child who could convey the nuances of a Creole child in the 60s.” She co-starred with her siblings in the ABC television comedy On Our Own (1994-1995) and guest appeared in numerous television shows: Hangin’ with Mr. Cooper, Full House, Martin, Wanda At Large, House, Grey’s Anatomy, etc. in 2000, she co-starred with Sharon Stone (Smollett played daughter to Stone’s “Hush”) and Billy Connelly in the comedy film Beautiful Joe. On March 17, 2009, she visited Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre, Kwa Mashu Township, north of Durban, South Africa, where she led an exchange youth forum sharing her experiences with Kwa Mashu youth. From September 2010 to March 2011 she was co-starring with Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell in the new CBS legal drama The Defenders. She spoke at the Ryan White Youth Conference, and elsewhere, on this issue.
