On Wednesday, writing in The Daily Mail, Piers Morgan tore into Jussie Smollett for his remarks following the dropping of all 16 grand jury charges against him. Morgan noted that he had previously called Smollett a “sickening, shameful disgrace” who had lynched the truth and deserved “no mercy and no sympathy,” but now he owed Smollett an apology because he shouldn’t have been so complimentary. Morgan stated bluntly, “In fact, I wish I’d gone in much harder,” adding that Smollett was a “truly despicable human being.”
Morgan began by pointing out Smollett’s remarks following the news of charges being dropped, in which Smollett stated:
I have been truthful and consistent on every single level since day one. I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I have been accused of. This has been an incredibly difficult time, honestly one of the worst of my entire life, but I am a man of faith, and I am a man that has knowledge of my history and I would not bring my family, our lives, or the movement through a fire like this, I just wouldn’t.
Morgan pointedly noted Smollett added, “I’d like nothing more than just to get back to work and move on with my life but make no mistakes I will always continue to fight for the justice, equality and betterment of marginalized people everywhere.”
Morgan wrote sarcastically, “Wow. As I watched him speak, so eloquently and so powerfully, I felt a surge of sympathy welling inside me for this poor misjudged young man who had just been cleared of staging a race-hate, homophobic attack on HIMSELF.”
Morgan cited the $10,000 bond money Smollett had given up and the 16 hours of community service he had performed, then added, “Why, if he was an innocent man?” He answered his own question by referring to First Assistant’s State’s Attorney Joe Magats admitting that Smollett was indeed guilty of the acts he was accused of. Morgan continued, “You dropped all charges against him because he’s GUILTY? At this point my bemusement turned to cold fury.”
Morgan wrote:
Last month, when the charges were first made, I accused Smollett of being “the most hideous, reprehensible, disgusting, sniveling little liar in America.” I said he was a “sickening, shameful disgrace” who had lynched the truth in the most despicable manner possible and deserved “no mercy and no sympathy.”
Morgan noted Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson reacted to Tuesday’s announcement by asserting that Chicago “is still owed an apology.”
After stating that he should have been more harshly critical of Smollett before, Morgan wrote:
For the truth is Smollett wasn’t content with just perpetrating an act of wicked deception that grabbed global headlines and made a mockery of real victims of racial or homophobic attacks. No, he had to go a step further even than that and pretend he’s been completely exonerated of any wrongdoing and is once again the victim – not just of the original ‘attack’, but now of a terrible slur against his good name and reputation.
By doing this, he has confirmed himself to be a truly despicable human being. It takes a rare kind of execrable douchebag to invoke his mother, God, black history, justice, equality and the “betterment of marginalized people” as he brazenly lies about being cleared over an incident that did unbelievable damage to justice, equality and marginalized people.
Morgan concluded, “Smollett lynched the truth, caused immeasurable harm to real victims, betrayed America’s black and gay communities, and thinks he’s got away with it. His reward for all this shouldn’t be a return to his $100,000-an-episode life as a feted TV star. Smollett should be fired from Empire, banished from Hollywood and treated like the pariah he deserves to be, by an industry that supposedly prides itself on tolerance. This wouldn’t fully atone for such a grotesque insult to justice, but it would help.”