'SNL' mocks Jussie Smollett in sketch that doubts his innocence. Did they go too far? - USA TODAY

Andrea Mandell USA TODAY

Published 1:06 AM EDT Mar 31, 2019

Jussie Smollett took two comedic hits Saturday night.

First Chris Rock went after him at the NAACP Image Awards.

Then "Saturday Night Live" devoted a sketch to how they imagined Smollett's meetings with Fox executives are going these days.

And it's not flattering.

In the sketch, Smollett (played by Chris Redd) is two hours late to the meeting, as his manager (host Sandra Oh) makes excuses and Fox execs (Kate McKinnon, Mickey Day) and Lee Daniels (Kenan Thompson) get more annoyed by the second.

"Jussie Smollett was a victim!" insists Oh.

"Oh please," retorts McKinnon.

Then Redd walks in wearing a red MAGA hat. "Guys, you are not going to believe what just happened to me," Redd says. "I got attacked again!" He promptly digs through a shopping bag that holds Crest White Strips, the letters KKK and a Teletubby. "The killer left me a bunch of clues!"

"What killer?" asks an exasperated McKinnon. 

"You're still alive, Jussie," retorted another exec, played by Day.

"Only because I fought back, because I’m the gay Mike Tyson," insists Redd.

Oh, as his manager, eventually fires him.

Reaction on Twitter following the sketch airing was largely negative.

"Oh man," tweeted @Isirikul.

Tweeter @lisa_lisab7426  called it in "bad taste."

The sketch was "trash as hell. And it's so easy to make fun of. FAIL," said @ramdas69___.

The sketch was "cringeworthy" and "not really funny" wrote @bookangel224.

User @shawtyfromguam noted how writers approached it "was a choice."

But some found it funny.

"This Jussie Smollett skit is hilarious!!!" wrote @TerpGrad01.

"lmaoooo" laughed @MrGChristopher.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2019/03/31/snl-mocks-jussie-smollett-harsh-sketch-and-people-mad/3324696002/

2019-03-31 04:58:00Z
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