Noted hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett says it is unfair to compare him to the Virginia sixth-grader who confessed this week to fabricating a story about white classmates forcibly cutting her dreadlocks.
He is right. 12-year-old Amari Allen has at least apologized for lying. She is no Jussie.
Allen’s false tale of racial discrimination gained national attention last week after newsrooms seized on the fact that Second Lady Karen Pence teaches part-time at the girl’s school, Immanuel Christian in Springfield, Va. Reporters saw this as the perfect hook to make a local story about alleged discrimination into a much larger story about the Trump administration. This led the New York Times to interview the 12-year-old girl and repeat her allegations verbatim without actually scrutinizing them.
The story, of course, fell apart almost immediately once it was looked into.
This is where Smollett resurfaces. Shortly after newsrooms reported Allen’s story was a hoax, the Instagram account “theshaderoom” posted a picture of the student with the headline, “Virginia teen who claimed white students cut her dreadlocks reportedly admits to fabricating the story.”
Another Instagram user, Derrick Jackson, wrote that “Jussie really is a trendsetter.” But Smollet took exception and chimed in.
“With all due respect brother,” the actor responded, “y’all can clown me all you want, but my story has actually never changed and I haven’t lied about a thing. Y’all can continue to be misinformed, internalized sheep, who believe what actual proven liars feed you or you can read the actual docs.”
Smollett concluded. “Either way, Imma be alright. I know me and what happened. You don’t. So carry on. All love.”
For the record, Smollett staged a hate crime against himself in conjunction with two acquaintances. He then went to police with a story about two white men in MAGA hats attacking him in subzero weather in Chicago at roughly 2:00 a.m. These Chicago rednecks supposedly recognized him as he was walking home, carrying a Subway sandwich.
The attackers turned out to be two Nigerian actors with ties to Smolett’s television show. Prosecutors say that there is an electronic trail of evidence showing Smolett planned the “hate crime” with them in advance.
Smollett is right to take exception to the comparisons between himself and Amari Allen. Her story was marginally more believable and she probably only did what she did because of the bad example of adults who should have known better.
Also, she at least had the moral courage to admit she lied.
