Celebs react to Kyle Rittenhouse's not guilty verdict: 'A devastating blow'

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Outside the courthouse after Rittenhouse not guilty verdict

Hollywood stars have reacted to the not guilty verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. On Friday, he was acquitted of all charges after pleading self-defense in the deadly Kenosha, Wisconsin, shootings in the summer of 2020. 

Upon hearing the verdict, the 18-year-old Rittenhouse began to choke up, fell to the floor, and then hugged one of his attorneys. It didn't take long for celebrities to respond on Twitter.

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"Shameless" actor Emmy Rossum tweeted, "This is a devastating blow.

One-time "Jeopardy!" host LeVar Burton said, "Tell me again there are not two kinds [of] justice in America."

"The Rittenhouse verdict gives them permission to kill. I've lost the definition of right and wrong," said Broadway star Patti LuPone. 

Jurors deliberated for a total of 26 hours and found Rittenhouse not guilty on five counts including first-degree reckless homicide, two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and two counts of first-degree reckless endangerment. Judge Bruce Schroeder had previously dismissed two additional counts related to his weapon.

Rittenhouse was facing a mandatory life sentence if found guilty and convicted of first-degree intentional homicide.

His attorneys argued that the then-17-year-old was acting in self-defense after being attacked from behind when he shot Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, as well as deceased Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26 in the riots following the police shooting of a 29-year-old Black man, Jacob Blake.

"So anyone can come to a protest, just march down the middle of the street with a massive gun - and kill people?" tweeted Mia Farrow.

"It has now been put it out there that vigilantes can just go and kill people protesting issues like racial equality whenever they want and get away with it. Think about that for a second," said actor Josh Gad.

Ava DuVernay shared a statement made by Anthony Huber's parents: "John Huber and Karen Bloom, parents of murderer #KyleRittenhouse’s victim Anthony Huber: the verdict 'sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street.'"

Model Brooklyn Decker called the verdict a "disaster." She tweeted, "The precedent is terrifying. The injustice is hard to stomach."

Singer Lizzo added her thoughts as well: "The system is not broken. It works. In the favor of white supremacy."

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"Star Trek" star George Takai wrote, "Justice denied is a body blow to our national psyche. On trial was not only a killer, but a system that continues to kill. Today that system defeated true justice, once again. But mark these words: We will never stop fighting for what is right and just."

Disney's "The Mandalorian" star Pedro Pascal shared photos of Rosenbaum and Huber on Twitter stating that they were "murdered." 

"Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 27, murdered August 25th, 2020. Rest In Peace," he wrote. 

This story is developing.

Fox News' Audrey Conklin and the Associated Press contributed to this report.