Jussie Smollett Charged: "Empire" Actor's Duplicity Sparks Outrage

BYAron A.Updated on September 26, 20227.6K Views

Jussie Smollett attends the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's 60th Anniversary Opening Night Gala Benefit at New York City Center on November 28, 2018 in New York City.

The Internet reacts to Jussie Smollett's felony charge for allegedly filing a fake police report.

Jussie Smollett's case took a wild turn last night when Chicago police confirmed the actor was indicted on a felony charge of disorderly conduct for filing a fake police report. This comes as a shock for many and not so much for others as there's been speculation from the jump that this may have been staged.

Following the confirmation of the actor's charges, the police said Smollett set this whole thing up because he wasn't happy with his salary.

"Empire actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career." Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson said. "Why would anyone, especially an African American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations?"

There was a polarizing reaction from the internet, understandably. People who stood by his side became disgusted at the thought that he would manipulate with insensitivities to cause public outrage.

The Internet was quick to get off their jokes. 50 Cent was quick to hop on Smollett's case and roast the actor for dubbing himself "The Gay Tupac." The rapper shared a post on Instagram of Smollett's face photoshopped into Tupac's All Eyez On Me album art with the caption, "All Liez On Me."

The allegations that Smollett orchestrated the attack created outrage among everyone who paid attention to the case.

Peep some of the reactions below.

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About The Author

Aron A.

Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.