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These Jussie Smollett Flashbacks Are Incredibly Delicious

Jussie Smollett’s many prominent defenders faced a reckoning on Twitter after the former “Empire” actor was found guilty Thursday of lying to police as part of a hate crime hoax.

SO WHAT

Can liberal elites take the “L”?

THE FLASHBACKS

Smollett’s story — that he was jumped by racist and homophobic Trump supporters outside his Chicago apartment on Jan. 29 2019 — was initially supported by prominent figures in Democratic politics, Hollywood and the media.

  • Conservative Twitter commentators were ready with the receipts when Smollett was convicted of five counts of disorderly conduct:

Jan. 29, 2019: Liberal politicians and celebrities, from then-presidential candidate Joe Biden to singer John Legend, quickly tweeted full-throated condemnations of American bigotry in response to news of the fake attack against Smollett, who is black and gay.

Jan. 31, 2019: During an emotional appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Elliot Page — then a star actress known as Ellen Page — blamed then-Vice President Mike Pence and the Trump administration for anti-LGBT violence and the Smollett hoax.

Feb. 14, 2019: “Good Morning America” host Robert Roberts sympathetically interviewed Smollett as he claimed he was attacked for opposing then-President Donald Trump.

Feb. 19, 2019: With Chicago police doubting Smollett’s story, then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris struggled with a reporter’s question about whether she stood by her her initial statement calling the hoax a “modern day hate crime.”

March 26, 2019: CNN media critic Brian Stelter made the case after a first round of charges against Smollett were dropped that “we may never really know what happened on the street that night in Chicago.”

Aug. 26, 2019: Comedian Dave Chappelle said in his newly released Netflix special that black people knew from the beginning Smollett was “clearly lying.”

FAST-FORWARD

Smollett has few defenders left — with the notable exception of Black Lives Matter — but has defiantly maintained his innocence nonetheless.

  • Nenye Uche, Smollett’s lead attorney, pledged Thursday to appeal his conviction, telling reporters: “We feel 100% confident that this case will be won on appeal” and “we remain 100% confident in our client’s innocence.”

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