The trial of Kyle Rittenhouse—who shot and killed two men and injured a third last summer during protests over police shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin—left many observers slack-jawed this week after the accused broke down on the witness stand.
The moment struck many as staged and fake.
Count NBA All-Star LeBron James among those who aren't buying Rittenhouse's outburst.
James tweeted about Rittenhouse's breakdown yesterday, not only accusing him of faking it but giving his detractors a moment of levity to go along with it.
See the tweet below.
What tears????? I didn't see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/LKwYssIUmD
— LeBron James (@KingJames) November 11, 2021
Quote-tweeting a now infamous video of Rittenhouse overcome with sobs--or at least trying to look like he was--James wrote:
"What tears????? I didn't see one. Man knock it off! That boy ate some lemon heads before walking into court. 🤣🤣"
From practically the moment it began, Rittenhouse's trial has struck many as a farce.
Rittenhouse faces seven charges for his actions at the Kenosha protests, where he killed two unarmed protestors, Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and injured a third, Gaige Grosskreutz, with an illegally obtained AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle.
Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty, claiming his murders were committed in self-defense while acting as part of militia groups, which are illegal. On the stand, he described a harrowing scene in which he was cornered and feared for his life, breaking down so intensely that the judge called a 10-minute recess for him to compose himself.
But as scores of people noticed, Rittenhouse appeared not to have mustered more than a single tear while appearing to sob so hard he was unable to speak or breathe, leading many to feel he was faking it. The circumstances of the case don't exactly back up Rittenhouse's take on the night, either.
Video clips and photos from after the shootings show Rittenhouse jubilant and at times bragging about his killings while flashing white nationalist hand signals. And videos from the scene showed police thanking Rittenhouse and other members of militia groups, which a lawsuit filed by Grosskreutz claims were "deputized" by the Kenosha Police Department that night.
Trial Judge Bruce Schroeder has also aroused suspicion of bias towards Rittenhouse after banning the word "victim" when referring to the people Rittenhouse killed, shouting down prosecutors on multiple occasions and making absurd claims about the inadmissibility of some video evidence.
In short, the trial has struck many as nothing short of a circus, with Rittenhouse's performance on the stand the attraction in the center ring.
So unsurprisingly, James' mocking tweet about Rittenhouse rang true for many on Twitter and left them applauding--especially after the right-wing, which has lionized Rittenhouse as a hero, took offense to it.
LeBron pissing off MAGA twitter is why he is the GOAT. MJ would never. pic.twitter.com/w9bdn1HzKD
— Andres (@FallingEdge) November 11, 2021
Usually when I cry, tears come from my eyes? Lol
— MissMarissaBabyy (@missmarissabbyy) November 11, 2021
I'm with you LeBron - what tears. Real trauma bring tears no matter how long its been. The boy is a cold blooded killer at 17. He actually stops mid way and look over to the jury.
— Allison johnson (@Thklipps) November 11, 2021
So ole boy murder ppl and y'all mad at LeBron pic.twitter.com/HR7lJggfjz
— Anfernee Young (@AnferneeYoung) November 11, 2021
Why was he there? That seems like the main question to me. Why does one cross state lines with a rifle to insert themselves into a hostile environment?
— Mike Ford (@imjustmikeford) November 12, 2021
That's exactly what I said! No matter how hard he squeezed his eyes. Couldn't produce one tear 🙄. Where was this energy when he was at the bar???
— Lyah_P (@Lyah_Pe) November 12, 2021
I totally agree he was squeezing his eyes so tight tying to make a tear form and then looked to the judge who has admitted he was bias who bailed him out giving him water and calling for a break. If yo look closely he looked at his mom and then they cried together.
— Lan Alpo (@kolismom23) November 12, 2021
This dude said he was out there to be a medic. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/1PtKDxIdgL
— Allen Evangelista (@iFollowAllen) November 11, 2021
No way, that boy killed people and y'all mad at Lebron…. 🤦🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/wB1ZrrqHj3
— Hard to Say I'm Mari (@ImariDubose) November 11, 2021
He was definitely faking I even saw him take a peek at the jury! Go back and look
— Some funny lady named Tay 😏🤙🏾💞 (@toofunny_tayb) November 11, 2021
It remains to be seen how Rittenhouse's performance on the stand resonated with the jury. Closing arguments in the trial are set to begin on Monday.