Smollett scolds prosecutor for using N-word, demands he stop ‘offending’ him
Jussie Smollett interrupted the prosecutor today during his trial to demand that he stop saying the N-word outright.
Smollet asked that Special Prosecutor Dan Webb spell or abbreviate the word to avoid offending “every African American in this room.”
RELATED: NC Lt. Governor berates state senator after her speech comparing Black, LGBTQ communities
“#smolletttrial: Jussie just told the Prosecutor to top using the N-word….The Prosecutor was reading texts from…wait for it…..Jussie Smollett. Classic !” one person tweeted.
The prosecutor was quoting directly from Instagram messages between Bola Osundairo and Smollett.
Webb responded by saying that Smollett was welcome to read his own messages out loud to the court, but that he would not censor the direct quotations of the actor’s messages. Smollett complied.
RELATED: Elderly Jewish couple sue after being kicked off plane for refusing to place religious shawl on the floor
“Webb reads a text from Smollett with the word ‘n****’ and Smollett stops him and asks him not to say it out loud, ‘out of respect for every African American in the courtroom.’ Webb apologizes, says why don’t you read it instead. ‘Apology accepted but that’s been used a lot,'” one reporter detailed from the courtroom.
The cross-examination was used by Webb to highlight key details of the night of the attack, and also of the alleged “dry run.” Smollett has denied under oath that he brought the Osundairo brothers on a practice enactment of his attack two days prior to it taking place.
RELATED: Black Lives Matter calls for boycott of white businesses: ‘We’re dreaming of a #Blackxmas’
Smollett faces six counts of disorderly conduct under a subsection of the law that prohibits false reports to police. Each of the 6 charges are separate instances when Smollett allegedly lied to authorities. Those charges are class 4 felonies in Illinois. A conviction could come with up to a 3 year prison sentence.