Don Lemon believes the recently arrested Jussie Smollett has already lost the case that matters, and he's challenging the Empire star to adjust his gameplan.
Wednesday on CNN Tonight, the anchor suggested the actor do more to engage with the public directly. Smollett hasn't spoken much about the racist and homophobic attack Chicago officials now claim was a hoax since his first public interview on Good Morning America. In that vacuum, the actor's fans and critics have seized on reports Smollett lied to the authorities.
“This is not 1997," Lemon said. "It’s not even 2006; it’s not even 2017 — that no longer works. In this particular case, this is not an entertainment story; this has become a political story because of the whole MAGA part."
Lemon suggested Smollett plead his case as a politician would.
"You know where that is played out and lived daily? In cable news and on social media," Lemon said. "So if you’re going to take your fight, you need to take it to the pit, to where it’s happening. It’s not happening on morning shows."
Lemon clarified he does not have anything against morning shows or entertainment journalists, stating he loved Robin Roberts' interview on Good Morning America.
"I’m just talking about how you respond to this sort of crisis. [Appearing on morning shows] doesn’t really work anymore and I think that is old school," Lemon asserted.
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The anchor summed up the problem like this: "Jussie has lost the fight in the court of public opinion, and that’s where his battle is."
Lemon blamed Smollett's PR team, and not Smollett himself, for losing the public's support.
"[It's] not his fault," Lemon said. "I don’t know what they were saying to him, maybe it was his representatives — but it was handled poorly."
The journalist added, "This is playing out every single moment in cable news. Sean Hannity’s going to eat Jussie Smollett’s lunch every single second. Tucker Carlson is going to eat Jussie Smollett’s lunch every single second. The president of the United States is going to eat his lunch and what does the president of the United States watch every night? Cable news!"
As Blavity reported, Smollett has now been arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.
Ahead of the actor's arrest, Lemon said he'd been in constant contact with Smollett, Mediaite reports.
“Every day I say … ‘I know you think I’m annoying you, but I just want to know how you’re doing and that you’re okay," Lemon said. “Sometimes he responds, sometimes he doesn’t. He responded [once] and said, ‘You are not annoying.'”
Now, check these out:
Jussie Smollett Allegedly Staged Attack Because He Was Discontent With 'Empire' Salary, Police Say
