Was actor Jussie Smollett offered a job at CNN after fabricating a news story out of thin air? No, that's not true: the story about the new job for the Empire actor was made up by a Christian-themed satire website after reports emerged Smollett was the victim of a hate crime which according to later reports appeared to have been staged by the actor himself.
The story originated from an article published by The Babylon Bee on February 18, 2019 titled "Jussie Smollett Offered Job At CNN After Fabricating News Story Out Of Thin Air" (archived here) which opened:
ATLANTA, GA--While Empire actor Jussie Smollett has been having a tough week so far, there appears to be a silver lining: cable news channel CNN has offered Smollett a job as an investigative reporter and on-air anchor after witnessing his skills at fabricating a story entirely out of thin air.
Users on social media only saw this title, description and thumbnail:
Jussie Smollett Offered Job At CNN After Fabricating News Story Out Of Thin Air
ATLANTA, GA--While Empire actor Jussie Smollett has been having a tough week so far, there appears to be a silver lining: cable news channel CNN has offered Smollett a job as an investigative reporter and on-air anchor after witnessing his skills at fabricating a story entirely out of thin air.CNN producers were reportedly impressed throughout t ...
In reality CNN has reported about the incident which was first described as a hate crime but which now seems to have been orchestrated to look like one:
Police sources: New evidence suggests Jussie Smollett orchestrated attack
Two law enforcement sources with knowledge of the investigation tell CNN that Chicago Police believe the actor Jussie Smollett paid two men to orchestrate an assault on him that he reported late last month.
"The Babylon Bee" comes with following dislaimer on every page:
The Babylon Bee is Your Trusted Source For Christian News Satire.
Several people on social media did not seem to grasp the story was just a joke:
Very fitting, a lying Propaganda Agency hiring a Liar. A match made in Hell. https://t.co/iwa9Xfr5BS
-- Michael Collins (@imnirshbll) February 19, 2019
Yep. CNN - fake news https://t.co/8adh24VBKa
-- Laura Petrisin (@PetrisinLaura) February 18, 2019
Sad that this is what our society is coming to. https://t.co/6TmDiPGSiS
-- Wayne Miller (@waynesellsequip) February 19, 2019
This seems to be becoming a habit. So called celebrities being offered positions after revealing their true disgusting selves.
-- Sydney Sceptics (@Sydney_Sceptics) February 18, 2019
Clementine Ford being another disgusting person in the public eye was offered a position at ABC after her twitter rant... https://t.co/4D7d0M7jzp
Some of the greatest past hits of The Babylon Bee include:
- Joel Osteen Sails Luxury Yacht Through Flooded Houston To Pass Out Copies Of 'Your Best Life Now'
- Steven Furtick Signs 6-Year, $110 Million Contract With Lakewood Church
- Another Actress Accuses Kirk Cameron Of Treating Her With Respect
- ISIS Lays Down Arms After Katy Perry's Impassioned Plea To 'Like, Just Co-Exist'
With a track record like that it is clear that you shouldn't take anything posted on the site seriously and you definitely shouldn't confuse it with real news.
We wrote about babylonbee.com before, here are our most recent articles that mention the site:
- Fake News: Ocasio-Cortez Did NOT Accuse Math Of Sexism In Tweet
- Fake News: 'Braveheart' NOT To Get All-Female Reboot Starring Lena Dunham
- Fake News: California NOT Considering Tax On Breathing
- Fake News: Oscars Committee Did NOT Announce Jordan Peterson as New Host
- Fake News: 'Avengers 4' Revealed To Be Epic 'Left Behind' Crossover
