Social media pillories Jussie Smollett over conviction while Hollywood liberals remain silent: He 'can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted'



Much of social media erupted in glee after "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett was found guilty on five of six counts of felony disorderly conduct in relation to a hate crime hoax he orchestrated — while prominent liberals remained silent.

A Chicago jury pronounced Smollett guilty Thursday evening.

He awaits sentencing for the convictions, which carry a maximum sentence of up to three years in prison.

Microcapsule history

In 2019, Smollett reported that two Donald Trump supporters attacked him while screaming racial and homophobic slurs and placed a noose around his neck.

The two suspects, Nigerian-born brothers Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo — with whom Smollett worked on the set of "Empire" — ultimately told police that he paid them to stage the attack in efforts to boost his floundering career.

Detectives said that surveillance footage and other pieces of evidence corroborated the Osundairo brothers' claims. The Nigerian-born brothers ultimately testified against Smollett and insisted that the "Empire" actor walked them through how to carry out the "attack."

Smollett said that he was not guilty, that there was no hoax, and that the two brothers attacked him and attempted to extort money from him.

What are the details?

Following the verdict, Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro led the chorus and tweeted, “Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted."

Tonight, Jussie Smollett can rest knowing that his attacker has been convicted.
— Ben Shapiro (@Ben Shapiro) 1639092114

The Babylon Bee's Twitter account joked, "Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attacker."

Cruel: Jussie Smollett Will Be Forced To Share A Jail Cell With His Attackerhttps://babylonbee.com/news/cruel-jussie-smollett-forced-to-share-a-jail-cell-with-his-attacker\u00a0\u2026
— The Babylon Bee (@The Babylon Bee) 1639092071

Blaze Media's Jason Whitlock added, "The conviction of Jussie Smollett's attacker is further proof the American criminal justice system isn't racist."

The conviction of Jussie Smollett's attacker is further proof the American criminal justice system isn't racist. #JusticeForJussie
— Jason Whitlock (@Jason Whitlock) 1639092381

Joe Concha, media columnist at The Hill, added, “Jussie Smollett guilty on first five counts. Sixth count not guilty. Justice obviously served. Don’t expect any apologies from those who brought this ridiculous take from Day 1, starting with the VP and ABC’s Robin Roberts."

Jussie Smollett guilty on first five counts. Sixth count not guilty. Justice obviously served. Don\u2019t expect any apologies from those who brought this ridiculous take from Day 1, starting with the VP and ABC\u2019s Robin Roberts.
— Joe Concha (@Joe Concha) 1639092252

Broadcaster Megyn Kelly tweeted, "Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims. As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too."

Jussie Smollett guilty on 5 felony counts. He perpetrated a hate crime hoax & made the road that much tougher for real victims.\n As for the press & politicos who gleefully bought his obvious nonsense & used it as an excuse to bash America, shame on you too.
— Megyn Kelly (@Megyn Kelly) 1639092530

Broadcaster Buck Sexton wrote, "Jussie Smollett's obvious hoax was an intelligence test that millions of liberals failed from day one[.] Including Biden and Kamala."

Jussie Smollett\u2019s obvious hoax was an intelligence test that millions of liberals failed from day one- \n\nIncluding Biden and Kamala
— Buck Sexton (@Buck Sexton) 1639092358

Daily Wire co-founder and co-CEO Jeremy Boreing added, "Never forget the left went all-in on the Jussie Smollett hoax. They wanted it to be true; they didn't care that it wasn't. And not just the media. The Obama political machine all but obstructed justice to protect this race-hustling fraud. They wanted riots. Unforgivable."

Never forget the left went all-in on the Jussie Smollett hoax. They wanted it to be true; they didn\u2019t care that it wasn\u2019t. \n\nAnd not just the media. The Obama political machine all but obstructed justice to protect this race-hustling fraud. They wanted riots. \n\nUnforgivable.
— Jeremy Boreing (@Jeremy Boreing) 1639096705

Author and columnist Tim Young added, "My favorite part of Jussie Smollett's hoax was that he left the rope around his neck... LIKE A REAL VICTIM WOULD... So when the cops showed up, he probably pointed to it and said 'See?!?! They tried to get me with this rope JUST LIKE THIS!' So f***ing dumb."

Silence from the peanut gallery

Liberals — both in Hollywood and Washington, D.C. — have largely remained mum on the verdict.

President Joe Biden in 2019 tweeted, “What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.”

What happened today to @JussieSmollett must never be tolerated in this country. We must stand up and demand that we no longer give this hate safe harbor; that homophobia and racism have no place on our streets or in our hearts. We are with you, Jussie.https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/1090328742231191554\u00a0\u2026
— Joe Biden (@Joe Biden) 1548811916

Around the same time, Vice President Kamala Harris added, "@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I’m praying for his quick recovery. This was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.”

.@JussieSmollett is one of the kindest, most gentle human beings I know. I\u2019m praying for his quick recovery. \n\nThis was an attempted modern day lynching. No one should have to fear for their life because of their sexuality or color of their skin. We must confront this hate.
— Kamala Harris (@Kamala Harris) 1548797413

Entertainer Ariana Grande at the time wrote, "[W]hat happened to jussie makes me really f***ing sick to my stomach. i can’t believe s*** like this is really still happening everyday. what kind of world ? sending all of the healing energy / love i possibly can and hoping for change. what can we do ? tell me & i’m there."

Actor Elliot Page — then known as Ellen Page — went on a lengthy diatribe during a late-night TV appearance, claiming that former President Donald Trump was somehow connected to the attack.

"Connect the dots, this is what happens," Page spat at the time. "If you are in a position of power and you hate people and you wanna cause suffering to them, you go through the trouble, you spend your career trying to cause suffering, what do you think is going to happen? Kids are going to be abused and they're going to kill themselves and people are going to be beaten on the street. I have traveled the world and I have met the most marginalized people you could meet. I am lucky to have this time and the privilege to say this. This needs to f***ing stop."

Actress Lena Waithe added, “Being queer and black is like having a target on your back every time you walk out the door. I don’t really believe police, I tend to believe black people first."

Smollett's fellow "Empire" co-star, Taraji P. Henson, wrote, "I know him and I know his track record. I'm not going to jump on clickbait just because someone says something derogatory about a person I know and love. I'm not easily swayed like that. Those little clickbait [reports] weren't enough to deter me from his immaculate track record. I know the type of activism this young man does in his community, I know that he's a giver – he's not an attention-seeker."

Don Lemon under fire for allegedly tipping Jussie Smollett off and not mentioning it on air — and critics are drawing comparisons with Chris Cuomo



CNN has become the subject of controversy again this week after one of its anchors, Don Lemon, continued to provide coverage of the ongoing Jussie Smollett trial without mentioning his own involvement.

What are the details?

During his testimony in front of court Monday, Smollett testified that he had correspondence with Lemon during the early parts of the Chicago Police Department's investigation into a supposed racist and homophobic hate crime committed against him, Fox News reported.

The disgraced former "Empire" actor claimed he received a text from Lemon tipping him off that the Chicago police didn't trust his account of the events that night, in which Smollett claimed that two Trump supporters assaulted him.

That information was reportedly key in his decision to refuse to hand over his cell phone to investigators at the time, the New York Post added.

Several media outlets reported on the revelation as notable in the trial. Yet during CNN's Monday night coverage of the trial, neither Lemon nor network reporter Omar Jimenez said so much as a single word about it.

At 10-to-midnight, @DonLemon and @OmarJimenez finally discuss the Jussie Smollett trial. But neither "journalist" mentioned how Smollett testified under oath that Lemon tipped him off to police skepticism of his hoax claims. The whole segment lasted 5 minutes and 7 seconds.pic.twitter.com/fNpgiY9o3J
— Nicholas Fondacaro (@Nicholas Fondacaro) 1638853623

Lemon, who is also gay, previously acknowledged that he texted Smollett "every day" following the alleged attack to check in on the former actor and see how he was doing. But he never mentioned that those personal messages involved sharing important information about the case.

Smollett is accused of staging the attack to boost his acting career and is now facing six counts of felony disorderly conduct.

Why does it matter?

Lemon's silence about his role in the case amid his continued coverage of it immediately sparked comparisons between him and former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, who was recently fired by the network for meddling in the sexual harassment scandal of his brother, then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

CNN had been widely criticized for allowing Cuomo to continue reporting on the network amid his brother's scandal.

According to the Post, commenters on Twitter called Lemon a "crook" for not disclosing his involvement, adding that it was time for CNN to "bid him goodbye," as well.

"Did CNN’s Don Lemon Pull a Chris Cuomo?" asked one blogger.

New York Times best-selling author Tony Shaffer tweeted, "Really, @donlemon? Did you do for @JussieSmollett what @ChrisCuomo did for his sexual assaulting brother @andrewcuomo?"

"If CNN is to be impartial they need to suspend Lemon until further review," one commenter suggested, while another said, "CNN is a joke these are activists not reporters."

Anything else?

Lemon, like disgraced anchor Chris Cuomo, is also currently battling sexual assault allegations. On Monday, Lemon's accuser, Dustin Hice, blasted CNN as "a predator protecting machine."

"They’re a network rife with predators and perverts," he told Fox News. "Lemon will have to testify under oath in the near future, but it’s good to see that there’s finally some accountability happening."