"It's a strange and disturbing news day in America — The New York Times summed it up with their new slogan, 'All the News That's Ick to Print,'" Stephen Colbert said on Thursday's Late Show. "And the icky part, I gotta say, starts with Empire actor Jussie Smollett," arrested Thursday for allegedly faking his own hate crime. "Now, this story involves race, sexuality, politics, and violence, so I need to tread very lightly here and simply say: What a dick," Colbert said. "Smollett cast himself as a fake national symbol for our real racial and political divide." He outlined the case.
"Look, I'm no expert, but if you're going to fake a white supremacist hate crime, hire two white guys," Colbert suggested, not two black brothers. "Smollett also — and this is a conspiracy no-no, paid the brothers by check. Come on. It did not help that he wrote in the memo line: 'For faking hate crime against me, Jussie Smollett, the guy from Empire.'" This whole case "is a horrible affront to actual victims of hate crimes," he added. President Trump, of course, attacked Smollett on Twitter.
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