This Smollett incident is very similar to the hijab hoax we had here in Canada last year. Some people jumped on board because it carried a political narrative they supported and were predisposed to believe.
Don't forget the the Catholic school students smeared for "attacking" a native vet or the German reporter nailed for making up stories about rural America . These kinds of stories are way too common and feed the narrative that the MSM are a bunch of liars that will stoop at nothing to tear down Trump and his supporters.