Actor Jussie Smollett was arrested in Chicago early Thursday, one day after prosecutors charged him with filing a false police report for what he claimed was a racist and homophobic attack last month.
Smollett has been a trending topic on Twitter since the attack and the charges spurred an uptick in both online sympathy and vitriol. The alleged fabrication is one of the biggest superstar scandals in recent memory, but Smollett joins a list of celebrities, athletes and others who faced a similar backlash.
Here are some examples:
Feb. 21, 2019, Jussie Smollett:
The actor who plays Jamal Lyon on the Fox TV drama "Empire" turned himself in to police after being charged with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report. Authorities say Smollett paid two brothers to help stage an attack that the actor described to police as racist and homophobic in nature. Smollett's attorneys said in court that their client denies the allegations.
August 27, 2017, Michael Bennett:
Then a member of the Seattle Seahawks, the defensive end was detained for about 10 minutes by Las Vegas police as they searched a casino for an active shooter, then was released. Bennett insisted he was a victim of racial profiling and excessive force. Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said that after an investigation, no such evidence was found. Bennett now plays for the Philadelphia Eagles.
February 10, 2015, Brian Williams:
NBC suspended the "Nightly News" anchor and managing editor for six months without pay amid questions about his memories and experiences while covering the Iraq War. Lester Holt was eventually named Williams' replacement on "Nightly News."
Sept. 16, 2015, Steve Rannazzisi:
The comedian and actor admitted to the New York Times that he lied about working in the World Trade Center when terrorists attacked on Sept. 11. Rannazzisi said telling the story was "a mistake that I deeply regret and for which apologies may still not be enough."
Feb. 19, 2015, Bill O'Reilly:
O'Reilly was accused of claiming he had reported in a combat zone for CBS News during the 1982 Falklands War when he was more than 1,000 miles from the front. An article questioning the validity of his story was first published by Mother Jones. O'Reilly vehemently denied the report, saying to any reporters working on a story about him, "I am coming after you with everything I have." He was fired from Fox News in 2017 amid harassment allegations.
Jan. 18, 2013, Lance Armstrong:
The disgraced seven-time Tour de France winner admitted in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that he used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs during those championship rides. He later settled a $100 million lawsuit with the federal government.
Jan. 16, 2013, Manti Te'o:
Te'o and Notre Dame, where the linebacker played at the time, issued a statement saying Te'o had been the victim of a hoax in which someone using the fictitious name Lennay Kekua and others conspired "to lead him to believe she had tragically died of leukemia" after Deadspin published a story detailing the fake relationship. Te'o played for the New Orleans Saints last season.
Jan. 27, 2006, James Frey:
The author of the 2003 memoir "A Million Little Pieces" admitted to Oprah Winfrey that he partially fabricated or embellished parts of the book. Winfrey, who had included the memoir in her book club, chastised him for the lies. In 2018, it was announced that the book will be brought to the big screen .
March 17, 2005, Lil' Kim:
The Grammy-winning rapper was convicted of lying to a federal grand jury to protect friends involved in a 2001 shootout outside a Manhattan radio station. She was sentenced to one year and one day in prison and fined $50,000.
March 5, 2004, Martha Stewart:
Stewart was convicted of lying to prosecutors about a stock sale and sentenced to five months in federal prison. Since her release, Stewart has hosted numerous talk shows and cooking programs.
August 17, 1998, President Bill Clinton:
Months after famously declaring he "did not have sexual relations with that woman," President Clinton gave a nationally televised statement to admit to having a relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky that was "not appropriate." In December 1998, the Republican-led House voted to impeach Clinton but he was eventually acquitted in the Senate and remained in office.
March 16, 1994, Tonya Harding:
A former Olympic figure skater, Harding pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution in the attack on rival skater Nancy Kerrigan. As part of the plea deal, Harding resigned from the U.S. Figure Skating Association, ending her amateur career. She was also fined $100,000 and given three years' supervised probation.
Nov. 19, 1990, Milli Vanilli:
The duo thought to be vocalizing hit songs like "Girl You Know It's True" and "Blame It on the Rain" had their Grammy taken away by the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences after its producer confirmed rumors that Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan were only front men on the album that won them Best New Artist. The two later put out an album called "Rob & Fab" using their own voices. Pilatus died in 1998.
August 24, 1989, Pete Rose:
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti banned Rose from baseball for life. At the time, Rose was managing the Cincinnati Reds. Giamatti said he had evidence that Rose had bet on baseball games, specifically ones involving the Reds. Multiple reinstatement efforts to allow Rose back into MLB's good graces have failed. Giamatti died eight days after Rose's banishment.
Jan. 28, 1972, Clifford Irving:
Said to be writing a supposed autobiography about the notoriously reclusive Howard Hughes, Irving admitted to forging the book. The confession came a few weeks after Hughes gave a telephone conference with reporters to say he had never met Irving. Hughes' lawyer sued Irving and his publisher. Irving was eventually found guilty of fraud and sentenced to six months in prison. He died in 2017.
Check out the AP's complete coverage of the Jussie Smollett case.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on Friday to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and called on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.
The 193-member world body approved the Arab and Palestinian sponsored resolution by a vote of 143-9 with 25 abstentions.
The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood made clear on Thursday that the Biden administration opposed the assembly resolution. The United States was among the nine countries voting against it, along with Israel.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Friday on a resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations.
The United States vetoed a widely backed council resolution on April 18 that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent, and U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood made clear Thursday the Biden administration is opposed to the assembly resolution.
Under the U.N. Charter, prospective members of the United Nations must be “peace-loving,” and the Security Council must recommend their admission to the General Assembly for final approval. Palestine became a U.N. non-member observer state in 2012.
“We’ve been very clear from the beginning there is a process for obtaining full membership in the United Nations, and this effort by some of the Arab countries and the Palestinians is to try to go around that,” Wood said Thursday. “We have said from the beginning the best way to ensure Palestinian full membership in the U.N. is to do that through negotiations with Israel. That remains our position.”
But unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the 193-member General Assembly and the resolution is expected to be approved by a large majority, according to three Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were private.
The draft resolution “determines” that a state of Palestine is qualified for membership – dropping the original language that in the General Assembly’s judgment it is “a peace-loving state.” It therefore recommends that the Security Council reconsider its request “favorably.”
The renewed push for full Palestinian membership in the U.N. comes as the war in Gaza has put the more than 75-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict at center stage. At numerous council and assembly meetings, the humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinians in Gaza and the killing of more than 34,000 people in the territory, according to Gaza health officials, have generated outrage from many countries.
The original draft of the assembly resolution was changed significantly to address concerns not only by the U.S. but also by Russia and China, the diplomats said.
The first draft would have conferred on Palestine “the rights and privileges necessary to ensure its full and effective participation” in the assembly’s sessions and U.N. conferences “on equal footing with member states.” It also made no reference to whether Palestine could vote in the General Assembly.
According to the diplomats, Russia and China which are strong supporters of Palestine’s U.N. membership were concerned that granting the list of rights and privileges detailed in an annex to the resolution could set a precedent for other would-be U.N. members — with Russia concerned about Kosovo and China about Taiwan.
Under longstanding legislation by the U.S. Congress, the United States is required to cut off funding to U.N. agencies that give full membership to a Palestinian state – which could mean a cutoff in dues and voluntary contributions to the U.N. from its largest contributor.
The final draft drops the language that would put Palestine “on equal footing with member states.” And to address Chinese and Russian concerns, it would decide “on an exceptional basis and without setting a precedent” to adopt the rights and privileges in the annex.
The draft also adds a provision in the annex on the issue of voting, stating categorically: “The state of Palestine, in its capacity as an observer state, does not have the right to vote in the General Assembly or to put forward its candidature to United Nations organs.”
The final list of rights and privileges in the draft annex includes giving Palestine the right to speak on all issues not just those related to the Palestinians and Middle East, the right to propose agenda items and reply in debates, and the right to be elected as officers in the assembly’s main committees. It would give the Palestinians the right to participate in U.N. and international conferences convened by the United Nations — but it drops their “right to vote” which was in the original draft.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas first delivered the Palestinian Authority’s application for U.N. membership in 2011. It failed because the Palestinians didn’t get the required minimum support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.
They went to the General Assembly and succeeded by more than a two-thirds majority in having their status raised from a U.N. observer to a non-member observer state. That opened the door for the Palestinian territories to join U.N. and other international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
In the Security Council vote on April 18, the Palestinians got much more support for full U.N. membership. The vote was 12 in favor, the United Kingdom and Switzerland abstaining, and the United States voting no and vetoing the resolution.
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FILE - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 23, 2022, at the U.N. headquarters. The U.N. General Assembly is expected to vote Friday, May 10, 2024, on a resolution that would grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine and call on the Security Council to favorably reconsider its request to become the 194th member of the United Nations. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson, File)
