Empire producers have pulled the plug on actor Jussie Smollett's involvement in the series following his arrest amid an ongoing investigation regarding whether he allegedly staged his own assault.
A statement regarding Smollett's removal was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. Empire's executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer confirmed Smollett would not appear in Season 5's final two episodes.
"The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. Jussie has been an important member of our Empire family for the past five years and we care about him deeply," Empire's executive producers's statement read. "We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season."
20th Century Fox Television, Fox Entertainment, and Empire producers initially stood by Smollett, 36, after reports surfaced about the actor being involved in what was once considered to be a hate crime. On January 29, he was allegedly attacked by two masked men hours after touching down in Chicago. The men apparently approached him while yelling racial and homophobic slurs before they repeatedly lashed at his head. One man allegedly wrapped Smollett's head in a noose before the attackers fled the scene. Smollett was then taken to a local hospital and released later that day.
Smollett was initially considered a victim, but he was later pegged as a suspect after the alleged attackers—Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo—were released from jail and began cooperating with police. He apparently paid the men $3,500 to help him orchestrate the attack because he was dissatisfied with his salary. While he was arrested on Thursday by Chicago police, he later returned to Empire's set that afternoon after posting $100,000 bail.
Despite the allegations positioning Smollett as a suspect, the actor has maintained his innocence. According to Entertainment Weekly, Smollett's legal team issued a statement Thursday claiming their client is a victim who's being hurt by the legal system.
"Today we witnessed an organized law enforcement spectacle that has no place in the American legal system," the statement read. "The presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett and notably, on the eve of a mayoral election."
The statement continued, "Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing."
Empire Season 5 returns March 13 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
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