Jussie Smollett’s Character Removed From Final Episodes of “Empire”

Amid ongoing speculation surrounding Jussie Smollett’s alleged staged attack in Chicago and his subsequent arrest, “Empire” producers have parted ways with Smollett’s beloved character, Jamal Lyon- for now, at least. 

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” Lee Daniels said in a joint statement with series executives. “Jussie has been an important member of our ‘Empire’ family for the past five years and we care about him deeply.”

As the execs continued, they highlighted the severity of the allegations and announced the removal of Smollett’s beloved character ‘Jamal Lyon’ as he undergoes due process. 

“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.” 

The removal comes after Fox released multiple statements in support of Smollett prior to his arrest. But, almost immediately after, the network said they were “evaluating the situation” and “considering [their] options.” 

In the meantime, Smollett has maintained his innocence.