‘Empire’ producers cut Smollett from season’s last episodes

Actor Jussie mollett’s character on (mpire will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges that he staged a racist an ti gay attack on himself last month in downtown hicago producers of the )ox T9 show announced )riday.

The announcement came a day af ter mollett turned himself in to police appeared in court on a felony charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report and left Mail after posting bond.

While these allegations are very disturbing we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays ‘’(mpire executive producers ee Daniels Danny trong rett 0ahoney rian ra er anaa amri )rancie alfo and Dennis ammer said in a written statement. 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.

The series is on a midseason break and returns 0arch with nine epi sodes. The last two episodes of the fifth season were still being made when mollett was charged. $t this point mollett is part of the seven already completed episodes.

mollett who is black and gay plays a gay character on the show that follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording in dustry.

3olice said mollett planned the hoax because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his ca reer. efore the attack he also sent a letter that threatened him to the hica go studio where (mpire is shot po lice said.

$s authorities laid out their case against mollett the narrative that

emerged 7hursday sounded like that of a filmmaker who wrote, cast, directed and starred in a short movie.

3rosecutors said Smollett

gave detailed instructions to the accomplices who helped him stage the attack in -anuary, including telling them specific slurs to yell, urging them to shout “MAGA country” and even pointing out a surveillance camera that he thought would record the

beating.

“I believe Mr. Smollett wanted it on camera,” police Superintendent (ddie -ohnson told reporters at a 7hursday morning news conference. “But unfortunately that particular camera wasn’t pointed in that direction.”

Smollett’s legal team issued a statement 7hursday night, calling the actor a “man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence.” 7he statement called -ohnson’s news conference “an organi ed law enforcement spectacle.”

“7he presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett,” the statement read.

Smollett is earning more than 100,000 per episode, according to a person familiar with the situation. 7he person spoke on condition of anonymity.

because salary details were involved. 7he studio declined to comment on the actor’s salary.

As is customary with a successful 7V series, regular cast members on “(mpire” received a boost in pay as part of contract extensions that followed the drama’s renewal for a second season, the person said.

Smollett is counted among the series regulars.