James Woods, Kathy Griffin, 'Empire' writers and more react to Jussie Smollett news

The Jussie Smollett saga has been divisive from the beginning, ever since the Empire star said he was a victim of a racial and homophobic attack. On Tuesday, prosecutors dropped all charges against the actor for allegedly staging his own hate crime, an announcement that left some feeling vindicated and others confused.

Kathy Griffin made a pitch to Empire creator Lee Daniels to “let Jussie return, but have his character confront a new character who did what he allegedly did.”

Director Ava DuVernay and Questlove were quick to chime in, seemingly happy with the decision.

George Takei used the case as a reminder to not jump to conclusions before “we have all the facts.”

The Empire writers are delighted with the outcome.

Smollett’s bosses at 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment are pleased as well, telling Yahoo Entertainment in a statement, “Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified that all charges against him have been dismissed.”

But not everyone is feeling so jovial — especially over at the Chicago Police Department. In a joint press conference on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson expressed shock over the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office’s decision to drop all charges, maintaining they doubt Smollett’s innocence. Donald Trump Jr. believes the actor is guilty, as well.

President Trump‘s eldest son was shocked to find himself agreeing with Emanuel.

“What is this kind of privilege called???” he tweeted, calling the situation “disgusting.”

The Smollett case quickly took on a political narrative after he said his two attackers yelled, “This is MAGA country,” during the assault. (MAGA stands President Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.”) It’s no surprise, then, that conservative commentator Ann Coulter was quick to react to Tuesday’s news.

And conservative actor James Woods really didn’t hold back when weighing in on the matter.

As for Smollett, he spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s court appearance.

“I have been truthful and consistent on every level since day one. I would not be my mother’s son if I was capable of one drop of what I’ve been accused of,” he told reporters. “This has been an incredibly difficult time. Honestly one of the worst of my entire life. But I am a man of faith and I am a man that has knowledge of my history and I would not bring my family, our lives or the movement through a fire like this. I just wouldn’t.”

Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:

• Who is Mark Geragos? Lawyer linked to Avenatti extortion has defended stars from Michael Jackson to Winona Ryder

• Keanu Reeves’s flight makes an emergency landing — and he takes a road trip home with a bunch of strangers

• Meghan McCain and Khizr Khan get choked up while bonding over Trump’s attacks on their families

Want daily pop culture news delivered to your inbox? Sign up here for Yahoo Entertainment & Lifestyle’s newsletter.