If Jussie Smollett really did stage a fake hate crime, and it’s looking that way, this is going to hurt so many people.
Anyone looking for an excuse to deny stories of real oppression and violence are going to use this for years as their example. Though really they should be taking it the opposite way — if anything it’s good evidence of how IMPOSSIBLE it is to hide a hoax these days.
In any case, Robin Roberts is taking it as hard as anyone since she may have helped the Empire star sell his story with her GMA interview last week.
Related: Some ABC Staffers Doubted The Story From The Jump
When the news of his arrest broke Thursday morning, the ABC anchor spoke out about the case, saying:
“It’s a setback for race relations, homophobia, MAGA supporters. I cannot think of another case where there is this anger on so many sides, and you can understand why there would be.”
Robin was also informed her own interview could be used as evidence in the case. She just seemed flummoxed by the whole thing, saying:
“At the time, on Tuesday, police officers were saying that his account was consistent, it was credible, and that he was being cooperative. Now this was all before the interview aired on Thursday, and then we found out about the brothers.”
See a whole GMA panel respond to the news (below):
[Image via GMA/YouTube.]