March 31 (UPI) -- Empire actor Jussie Smollett was the target of mockery at the NAACP Image Awards and on Saturday Night Live this weekend.
"They said no Jussie Smollett jokes. I know. What a waste of white skin. You know what I could do with that light skin? That curly hair? My career would be out of here. (Expletive) running Hollywood," Variety reported comedian Chris Rock joked at the NAACP Image Awards in Los Angeles.
"What the hell was he thinking?" Rock wondered aloud. "From now on, you're Jessie from now on. You don't even get the 'U' no more. That 'U' was respect. You don't get no respect from me."
Smollett, who was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for Empire, was a no-show. The award was won by Jesse Williams from ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
SNL also lampooned Smollett's recent legal troubles with a sketch showing SNL player Chris Redd as Smollett arriving late to a meeting with his manager (played by guest host Sandra Oh) and the executives behind Empire.
The show's creator Lee Daniels (played by Kenan Thompson) and staffers (played by Mikey Day, Kate McKinnon and Ego Nwodim) want to fire Smollett because they don't believe he was really the victim of a hate crime in Chicago as he has claimed.
The real Smollett had been charged for allegedly orchestrating a racial and homophobic assault against himself, then lying repeatedly about it to authorities. The charges were dropped last week.
His actual fate on Empire remains unclear as he continues to publicly state he was the victim of a crime.
"I was attacked again," Redd as Smollett told the disbelieving people in the SNL sketch as he burst into the meeting with bruises on his face and a red, Make America Great Again hat on his head.
He then seemed surprised to find what he described as "a bag of clues" hanging off of his arm.
As his manager pleaded with him to stop telling his outlandish story, Smollett opened the bag to reveal teeth-whitening strips, three letter Ks, a store receipt, car keys and a purple, Teletubby doll.
"Jussie, this is absolutely ridiculous," Thompson as Daniels said.
McKinnon's character suggested Smollett call the police if he was really attacked a second time.
"No, no, no, no, no. They said I can never call again as part of the deal," Smollett said.
"Jussie, you know we've got to fire you, right?" Daniels asked.
"You can't fire me. I made this show! I am the gay Lee Daniels!" Smollett proclaimed.
"Jussie, I am the gay Lee Daniels," Daniels said after which Smollett's manager also fires him and Smollett storms out of the room.
"I just hope he gets the help he needs," his manager said.
Smollett comes back into the room with his jacket hanging half off of his body and a brace on his neck, yelling, "Guys, oh my God, you're not going to believe what happened to me this time!"
The sketch ended with everyone telling him, "Get out of here," and "Go home."