Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN
Jussie Smollett’s character has been cut from the rest of the fifth season of Empire. Smollett was arrested yesterday for allegedly faking a hate crime against himself last month. He posted bond last night and reportedly went straight to the studio where the hit tv show is filmed to thank the cast and crew for their support, all while insisting on his innocence.
This morning Fox executives released a statement saying, “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. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. 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.”
