Trevor Noah talks Jussie Smollett: 'Either this guy is telling the truth or he deserves an Emmy'
Trevor Noah brought up recent developments into the investigation of January's attack on actor Jussie Smollett on his nightly program Monday.
As of Sunday, Chicago police were pursuing "additional detective work" amid suspicion that the attack may have been faked. Two brothers told investigators they were paid by the "Empire" actor to stage the attack, according to a person familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly.
"You have to admit, there's a certain part of the story that was always a little weird," Noah told his "Daily Show" viewers.
"Like, who are the MAGA supporters who hate gay people, who hate black people, but also happen to watch ‘Empire?’ ” Noah asked. In Smollett's account of the attack on "Good Morning America," Thursday he told Robin Roberts his attackers yelled "Empire" to get his attention and used racists and homophobic slurs.
"I've heard of hate-watching, but that (expletive) would be next level," Noah said. "It’s like a member of the Klan buying tickets to 'Fiddler on the Roof.' "
More: Jussie Smollett investigation: Everything we know so far
More: Chicago police pursue claims Jussie Smollett attack may have been faked
Noah also marveled at Smollett's emotional interview with Roberts.
"OK, either this guy is telling the truth, or he deserves an Emmy for that interview, because if all of that is just a performance, I don’t care what he’s lying about, you can’t cancel him," the host said. "He’s too good to not be on TV.”
Wrapping the segment up, Noah told the audience: "That's basically where the story is now, and, look, I don't know how it's going to end up, because every day the story just gets stranger and stranger.
"Tomorrow we could find out that those Nigerian brothers are actually princes and they needed the money to unlock their royal inheritance," he joked. "I don't know where this is going."
Contributing: Aamer Madhani
More: Jussie Smollett: 'Empire' producer stands by star, Ava DuVernay weighs in
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trevor Noah talks Jussie Smollett: 'Either this guy is telling the truth or he deserves an Emmy'
