Jussie Smollett‘s character dropped from popular television series Empire following arrest. The actor faces multiple felony charges stemming from an alleged racist and homophobic attack.
Since the first episode, Jamal, the middle child of main characters Lucious (Terrence Howard) and Cookie Lyon (Taraji P Henson) has been a main character of the fictitious music industry based saga. Amidst the recent controversy, producers have decided the character will not appear the remainder of the season.
Deadline reports executive producers including Lee Daniels, Danny Strong and Brett Mahoney, released a statement regarding the actor’s role.
“Jussie has been an important member of our Empire family for the past five years and we care about him deeply”.
Jussie Smollett’s swift removal from Empire does not mean however producers do not believe his version of the events. The official statement places trust in the legal system as allegations are further investigated.
Empire producers are not the first to drop Jussie Smollett. The episode of Drop The Mic set to feature Smollett battling also received the ax.
As the case continues to unravel in the public eye, Smollett maintains his innocence. The felony charges of disorderly conduct and filing a false police report could put the actor behind bars for up to three years.
