Good Morning America host Robin Roberts is opening up about her sit down controversial interview with Jussie Smollett regarding his alleged hate crime attack.
Roberts admitted to not being sure if she wanted to do the interview at first, “I’ll be completely honest, I was like I don’t know if I want to do the interview or not. I said I don’t want to sit down with him if he is going to lawyer up. And then I was told, he wants to speak with you because he is outraged by people making assumptions about whether it happened or not.”
Roberts said that she agreed to the interview because it was a newsworthy story and she was getting the first interview,
“They say, he wants to say things that he has not said and I’m like, As a journalist, as a newsperson, this is newsworthy, he is going on record for the first time, yes I’ll do the interview.”
Roberts said that she was allowed to press and challenge Smollett on details that were not clear with his story. “I sat down with him and I don’t know what he is going to say she said. Following up about how he couldn’t believe people didn’t believe him well go, You’re out 2 o clock in the morning, you’re getting a sandwich, and you won’t give up your phone.”
Roberts also said that she tried to be fair due to her ties with African Americans and the LGBT community.
“I am a black gay woman. He is a black gay man. He’s saying that there is a hate crime so if I am too hard, then my LGBT community is going to say, you don’t believe a brother. If I’m too light on him, it’s like because you’re in the community you are giving him a pass. It was a no-win situation for me.”
Smollett turned himself in one week after the brothers came forward saying the attack was planned. He is now facing disorderly conduct charges for filing a false police report. He is due back in court March 14
