Stephen Colbert Talks Jussie Smollett: “All Rich, Famous People Get Off Easily”

Stephen Colbert has something to say about Empire star Jussie Smollett. On Tuesday, Smollett, who was facing 16 counts of filing a false police report for allegedly staging his own attack, was delivered an unexpected victory when Cook County, Chicago prosecutors dropped all charges against him. Like many, Colbert was surprised at the sudden reversal, saying that the state’s attorney’s decision “doesn’t make any sense.” The Late Show host went on to say that while the situation is “wrong,” there’s still a silver lining to all this: “regardless of your race or sexual orientation, all rich, famous people get off easily.”

“This morning, we learned that, for some reason, charges have been dropped against Empire actor Jussie Smollett. Man, Bill Barr has been busy,” said Colbert at the top of his monologue, referencing the current U.S. Attorney General. The Late Show host then volunteered to “catch you up” on the story, which he summarized with a shrug and an, “I don’t know.” He continued, “I don’t know what’s going on. It doesn’t make any sense.”

After actually breaking down the story of Smollett’s January 29 attack — which police later claimed the actor staged with two Nigerian brothers — Colbert shared videos of Police Superintendent Eddie Jackson and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, both of whom were baffled by the decision to drop charges. “Yes, it is wrong,” said Colbert. “But on the other hand, isn’t it a hopeful sign for America that regardless of your race or sexual orientation, all rich, famous people get off easily.” The host’s sarcasm was met with a massive round of applause from the audience and laughs from bandleader Jon Batiste. “It’s a message of hope, I guess,” said Batiste.

But Colbert didn’t stop there. “I believe it was Martin Luther King who said, ‘I have a dream that one day the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will hire the very best publicists to leverage their social media profile, escape charges, and then make a big comeback on The Masked Singer,'” he said.

Watch Colbert take on Smollett in the clip above.

Where to stream The Late Show