Jessie Smollet: My take

Jussie Smollet: Was the ‘attention’ worth his credibility?

“Empire” star Jussie Smollet became a trending topic after claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, then word came out that the actor allegedly made the whole thing up as a way to gain sympathy and a pay increase for his hit show.

Even though charges were dropped, his credibility remains in question. The police say they still believe Smollet fabricated the whole thing.

Both fans of the show, and/ or people who never even heard of Smollet before the case “broke the Internet,” weighed in on how they felt the twisted situation has affected the community.

“I believe Jussie is just trying to find any way to bring light to the hate that we face every day, though he might of went too far,” said Tracey Williams, a security guard at Texas Southern University and a member of the LGBT community. “I understand where he is coming from, but as a security guard, it makes life harder because hate crimes are already a tough enough situation to deal with in the first place.”

How far will we go to fight for something we believe in, or was this attention-seeking to the 100th power?

“Why would anyone go to the extent of putting themselves in danger for attention? I feel as if we are being forced to accept everyone whether we like it or not,” said Killian Okere, a TSU student.