The sketch is not the only one that centers on the 'Empire' star's fake hate crime scandal on the NBC long-running comedy show.
- Mar 4, 2019
AceShowbiz - Jussie Smollett was dominating the headlines in recent weeks after Chicago police reported that the "Empire" actor staged his physical attack. Naturally, "Saturday Night Live" showed its take on the shocking scandal in the March 2 broadcast with a new sketch titled "Shark Tank: Legal Edition".
The skit featured several infamous defense attorneys -- high-profile attorney Michael Avenatti (Pete Davidson), Fox news commentator Jeanine Pirro (Cecily Strong), O.J. Simpson's former defense attorney Alan Dershowitz (John Mulaney) and Rudy Giuliani (Kate McKinnon) -- instead of a slew of famous investors, as celebrities with legal troubles came out to pitch their case. They explained to the attorneys why they need high-powered legal representation.
The celebrity guests in that episode included New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft (Beck Bennett). He was recently charged with misdemeanor solicitation of prostitution. Following him was Chris Redd's Smollett.
"You won't believe this, but I was just attacked outside the studio by Donald Trump himself," the NBC show's version of the actor said to the panelists. Dershowitz then asked, "Is that true?" to which Smollett responded, "Are there cameras outside? Then no."
When asked why he was here, Smollett said, "Cause I broke humanity." He also tried to give spoilers of the next season of "Empire" in exhange for someone taking his case. "If you take my case, I'm offering spoilers for the next season of Empire: I die," he explained.
Dershowitz seemingly was interested in the offer. "You have everything I love in a client," he shared. "You're famous, you're probably guilty, end of list."
The sketch was not the only one that centered on Smollett's fake hate crime scandal. "Weekend Update" tackled it as anchor Colin Jost delivered fake news about a man who had been arrested for faking his own abduction and robbery to avoid paying $50,000 he owed in a Super Bowl pool. "Worse, the man just lost his job on 'Empire'," Jost added.
The episode arrives after Smollett was arrested on February 21 after being charged with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report in which he claimed he was the victim of a hate crime. He reportedly paid someone to stage an attack for him due to his dissatisfaction with his salary. The actor denied all the allegations.
