Jenifer Lewisis urging compassion in the wake of theJussie Smollettcontroversy.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I am one of the most compassionate people on this planet. I love people. I’m an entertainer,” said Lewis, 62. “But when we make a mistake — I mean, who knows the true story? But I do know that we have to have compassion. But more than that, there has to be consequences — for whatever happened.”
“Because the temperament of the country right now, it’s fragile,” she continued. “All I can say is let’s all put one foot forward and stand with each other. We need to unite now. It doesn’t matter who does what, because it’s going to be a lot of things going on. Our job is to stand together on the frontline and say, ‘No!’ when we know it’s not right.”
Be sure to check outPEOPLE’s full Oscars coverageto get the latest news on film’s biggest night.
Amy Sussman/Getty; Anthony Behar/Fox/PictureGroup/REX/Shutterstock
On Thursday, Chicago police held apress conferencein which they alleged theEmpirestarpaid $3,500 to stage a “bogus” attackagainst him to draw attention to himself because he was dissatisfied with his salary. (A source denied to PEOPLE that Smollett, 36, had any sort of issue with his pay, saying, “There’s never been a dissatisfaction with his salary.”)
Smollett, who is black and gay, wasarrestedon Thursday morning after turning himself in to police, one day after he wascharged. He presented in bond court on Thursday afternoon, where a judge set his bond at $100,000; hewas releasedafter posting $10,000 bond. He has also been asked to surrender his passport. His next hearing is scheduled for March 14.
He’s facing a felony charge of disorderly conduct. If convicted, he could serve up to three years in prison.
Smollett’s character Jamal Lyon has since beenremoved from the final two episodesof season 5 to “avoid further disruption on set,” the Fox show’s executive producers said in a statement.
The 91st Academy Awards are broadcasting live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on ABC.
source: people.com
