The View discussed Jussie Smollett being found guilty of five of six counts of lying about a hate crime and disorderly conduct. Despite being found guilty, Smollett maintains his innocence, which flies in the face of the evidence against him. On the whole, The View co-hosts felt that the only way for Smollett to come back into the public’s good graces is to act contrite.
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‘What I would like to see when he arrives before the sentencing judge is complete contrition and penance,” said Sunny Hostin, according to Primetimer. “If he gets there, then I think there is a place for forgiveness in our country.”
Ana Navarro said that she didn’t think Smollett could possibly be lying at first. But as more came out about the story, she became concerned that people who are actual hate crime victims should still feel safe to come forward about their experiences.
“When it first happened, it was unimaginable to anybody that it could be a hoax. I think that for a lot of us, it read as believable there there could be hate crimes, because there are hate crimes against minorities and against LGBTQ [people],” she said. “The big message that should come out for everybody out of this is that it should not deter people who are the victims of real hate crimes from reporting them.” She also said that Navarro should “accept responsibility” and pay Chicago back “for all of the time and resources they spent investigating this false accusation, and to show a little humility and remorse.”
