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Jussie Smollett's prosecutor slammed for using 'monkeyed around' to describe actor

The phrase used by Dan Webb incurred a negative reaction from the people present in court, with groans coming from the Smollett family

After getting scolded for reading out the N-word from the defendant's texts, Dan Webb, the prosecutor in Jussie Smollett's case, has raised eyebrows for the second time during his closing argument, by using the phrase "monkeyed around" while referring to the 'Empire' actor. 

While trying the make the point that kept a noose around his neck for a long time until police showed up at his apartment, prosecutor Dan Webb told the jury that the actor "monkeyed around" with the rope. The phrase immediately incurred a negative reaction from people present there with groans coming from the Smollett family and several of the people shaking their heads in disgust. It also did not score any brownie points with the jury as the prosecution tries to prove the alleged racial attack on the actor was fake. The jury is currently deliberating. If convicted, Smollett could face years in prison.

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'Your blatant racist tactics will backfire on you'

People on social media had mixed reactions to the phrase used by the prosecutor in court. "The prosecution on City Girl Smollett is really digging his own grave. Yesterday he read texts w/ the N-word & didn’t hesitate to SAY THE FULL WORD in court. Then today, when referring to the noose that was around the BLACK defendant, said Jussie 'monkeyed' around with it. Maam," one of them said, while another noted, "If they get a conviction they didn’t deserve it. 'Monkeyed around' really? You really comparing black people to monkeys?….. Chicago. Where you can take the L all the way home. You haven’t been fascinating since Al Capone."

The third quipped, "To the white male Republican prosecutor: your blatant racist tactics will backfire on you with the jury. It’s Chicago and almost 2022…" The next remarked, "Good thing the prosecution has zero need to score points then since the following is FACT: Mr Narcissism is guilty of the charges he’s being tried in a court of law for PERIOD." A commenter tweeted, "Monkeyed around? That’s offensive? It’s dark outside? Is that offensive too? Wtf nothing else to go on and people have to find racism in every fucking word in the English language? That shithead is guilty! not my opinion it’s FACT!" A person reacted with, "What a poor racist choice of words monkeyed around really."

Jussie Smollett scolded the prosecutor for using the N-word

This wasn't the first time the prosecutor got schooled for a racial goof-up. He also got called out by Smollett just a couple of days prior, in court for reading some of his texts and using the full n-word. At the time, the prosecutor backed down and had the defendant read the texts.

During the course of the questioning, Webb read out aloud parts of the conversation between Smollett and his alleged accomplice Abel Osundairo, where he used the N-word quite often. Smollett went on to instruct Webb to not say the N-word as a White person, out of respect for "every African American person in the room."

The prosecutor argued that in his messages, Smollett appeared to have indicated that his flight delay from New York to Chicago might affect their plan. "[N-word] this is brutal. Still on this damn runway," he had texted, adding later, "[N-word] finally made it." While reading out the texts, Webb was interrupted midway by Smollett and instructed to not read the 'N-Word'. Webb apologized for the same but Smollett reverted, "Apology accepted but it's been used a lot."