Dave Chappelle’s Joke About Jussie Smollett Resurfaces After Guilty Verdict

By
David Rufful
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OPINION | This article contains commentary that reflects the author's opinion.

It appears that comedian Dave Chappelle knew the truth all along.

While countless Democrats and liberal celebrities defended Smollett in January 2019, Chappelle made a joke over the summer that called the whole situation into question.

Smollett claimed that he was the victim of a hate crime and a police report. “We are with you, Jussie,” Joe Biden wrote to Twitter. Vice President Kamala Harris said Smollett is “one of the kindest, most gentle human beings,” and added that “this was an attempted modern day lynching.”

MSNBC’s Al Sharpton said the “hate crime” was “despicable and outrageous,” adding that “the guilty must face the maximum.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Lori Lightfoot, Maxine Waters, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Rashida Tlaib, MSNBC’s Joy Reid, and Democrat Eric Swalwell are among others who spoke out for Smollett.

Smollett was later found guilty by a jury in federal court who reviewed the case in detail. Police raided the home of the two alleged attackers and found out that Smollett paid his attackers $3,500 in order to carry out the fake hoax.

Months before the charges and trial against Smollett, Chappelle cast doubt over his absurd claims.

“One night in Chicago, he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack,” Chappelle began.

“Oh it’s a crazy story, apparently when he was walking down the street late at night, two white men came out of the shadows with MAGA hats on and beat him up, tied a rope around his neck and called him all kinds of [slurs] put some bleach on him and ran off into the night.”

Chappelle explained that there was a massive outpouring of support Smollett from Hollywood celebrities and politicians.

But Chappelle noted that African Americans were “oddly quiet” about it because “none of these details added up at all.”

He joked: “Okay, you left the house at 2 a.m., it’s minus 16 degrees.”

“You were walking, you were walking. All riiiight. And… and where were you going? Subway. Sandwiches?” he asked.

“That’s when the men approached you… what did they have on? MAGA hats? MAGA hats in Chicago… [aside to another police officer] Find out where Kanye West was last night…” Chappelle continued.

Chappelle concluded that Smollett was “clearly lying.”

Watch the clip:

During the trial, we learned that Smollett lied to police and created a false police report in January 2019 about being the victim of a racist and homophobic assault in Chicago, which never actually occurred. He claimed that he was assaulted by two people he described as white men who wearing MAGA hats.

It was merely a political stunt to attack Republicans and Trump supporters shortly before an election year. The two alleged attackers, identified Abimbola and Olabinjo Osundairo, are African American and not white, as Smollett claimed.

They had actually worked with Smollett as extras on the set of Smollet’s television show. They had purchased the rope found around Smollett’s neck at a hardware store in Ravenswood over the weekend of January 25. One of the attackers even said that they had a sexual and drug-fueled relationship with Smollett.

Smollet told police that his attackers shouted racial and homophobic slurs and poured an unknown chemical substance on him, which was possibly bleach. He claimed he was called a “f****t” and a “n*****.” If this wasn’t bad enough, Smollet added that they tied a noose around his neck because why not push the lies a bit further and more ridiculous.