Jussie Smollett is a terrific actor. I mean, did you see his performance on “Good Morning America” last week? It was Oscar worthy.

The tears and the cracking voice. The sincerity. The righteous indignation that some people didn’t believe that he’d been brutally attacked by a pair of Trump supporters who - as we all know - hate blacks and especially gay African-Americans.

And don’t forget the pride he had in himself for standing up to these MAGA thugs who attacked him.

Jussie Smollett was more than just a victim. He was a damned hero!

“I want a little gay boy who might watch this to see that I fought back,” he said. “They ran off, I didn’t.”

Nope, he didn’t run off. He wrote the guys a check and then lied his ass off.

If you haven’t rewatched this interview since we learned that Smollett was engaging in street theater just to get a pay raise, you really should.

 It’s breathtaking in its deceit. 

When the superintendent of police for Chicago announced Thursday morning that Jussie Smollett had turned himself in, the top cop’s  voice dripped with contempt for the young man who had wasted his department’s resources and who had cheapened the racial struggles blacks face in America.

"'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett took advantage of the pain and anger to promote his career," Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. "I am left hanging my head and asking, ‘Why?

“Why would anyone, especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol and see an opportunity to manipulate that symbol to further his own public profile? How can an individual who has been embraced by the city of Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city in the face by making these false claims?'" 

So far, Smollett’s been charged only with a felony for filing a false police report. A crime that carries a possibility of three years in prison in Illinois. More charges could come out of the lies he told law enforcement during the investigation. In addition, he’s likely to face serious federal charges for a phony letter - laced with a white powder - that police say he sent through the mail filled with racist and homophobic slurs.

This actor did more than just cook up a stupid stunt to get the sympathy of his bosses. He merrily poured fuel on the fires of hatred in America. He zealously reinforced stereotypes. As many others have said, he helped drive the wedge deeper between left and right,  whites and blacks  and between gays and straights.

He’s made it less likely that real crime victims will be believed. 

Jussie Smollett committed a hate crime against America.

Ironically his best performance - on “Good Morning America”  - could be his last.