Following the turn of events for Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon, Empire) where he was arrested and charged on multiple felony counts and then posted bail, the producers of Fox’s sudsy primetime drama have decided to pull him from the remaining two episodes of the season.

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo, and Dennis Hammer said in a statement this morning following the legal fallout for Jussie Smollett and his arrest stemming from an alleged hate crime reported on January 29th that he staged on himself.

The producers went on to say: “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.”

This happened even after Smollett returned to work on Thursday, and even after the actor/singer reportedly apologized to the cast and crew of Empire for any embarrassment the recent allegations may have caused, but at the same time, sources reported, that he maintained that he was innocent,

According to CNN: “The person at the meeting said they were shocked and dismayed that Smollett stuck to his story of innocence. For the most part, the source said, Smollett paraphrased what was in the statement that his attorney put out that afternoon, blaming the legal system and the media for his woes.”

So, what do you think of the Empire producers decision to cut Smollett from the last two shows of the season? What do you think of Jussie still maintaining his innocence to the cast? Comment below.

In major developments in the last several hours, Jussie Smollett (Jamal Lyon, Empire) turned himself in to Chicago police early Thursday morning, just hours after he was charged with disorderly conduct for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself late in January on the streets in Chicago.

In a press conference currently being conducted by the CPD supervisor, Eddie Johnson and Commander Edward Wodnick, they revealed that Smollett turned himself in quietly and without issue.   In addition, the Chicago PD are outlining the events and timeline that led to Smollett’s arrest.

Smollett turned himself in at the Central District police station in Chicago at 5 a.m., police reported.  Thursday morning, Smollett was scheduled to appear for a bail hearing Thursday at 1:30pm central time on a felony charge of a class 4 disorderly conduct, and with that charge Smollett could face up to 1.5 years in prison.

Jussie’s attorney’s released the following statement on Wednesday night after Smollett was charged by the Chicago PD: “Like any other citizen, Mr. Smollett enjoys the presumption of innocence, particularly when there has been an investigation like this one where information, both true and false, has been repeatedly leaked. Given these circumstances, we intend to conduct a thorough investigation and to mount an aggressive defense.”

Smollett reported that he has been attacked as he was walking home around.  He claimed two masked men shouted racist and homophobic slurs as they beat him, put a noose around his neck, and poured a chemical on to him.

Enter two brothers, Ola and Abel Osundairo, who Smollett knew, who were arrested last week, but later released as suspects. The two brothers told police they helped stage the attack with Smollett.  They were paid $3,500 to orchestrate the attack by Smollett.  In their press conference, the Chicago PD revealed that they have the check as evidence were Smollett paid the brothers that sum.

The brothers left for Nigeria hours after the attack, and were arrested days later when they returned to Chicago.   On Wednesday, they testified to a grand jury. Smollett was later charged with disorderly conduct.

What do you think now about the events and the arrest of Jussie Smollett?  Comment below! But first watch the Chicago PD police department.live feed of the press conference on Smollett’s arrest.

As of Tuesday, the production of Fox’s hit series, Empire has slashed Jussie Smollett’s upcoming scenes following reports that the suspicion is now on him for allegedly staging the “hate” attack he reported to the Chicago PD back on January 29th.

According to production sources viaTMZ: Jussie was supposed to have nine scenes and a big musical performance in the second-to-last episode of Season 5,  Now, five scenes and the musical number have been axed.  Smollett’s character is also no longer the focus of his remaining four scenes, which will now feature an ensemble of characters.

The actor/singer who portrays Jamal Lyon will be working Friday and possibly Thursday but won’t be rehearsing.

The Empire writers are said to have been scrambling over the last 24 hours to revise this season’s scripts.

All of this despite despite strongly expressed renewed support by Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney on February 17th.  The goal now is said to be to reduce Smollett’s role both in dramatic stints and musical performances.

Empire returns for the remainder of its fifth season on March 13.

Smollett claims he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack near his Chicago apartment, but things took a turn when he may have paid two friends to help stage the assault.

This case is said to be going before a Grand Jury as early as today.

What are your thoughts on the latest developments in the Smollett case and Empire reducing his appearances for the remainder of the season? Comment below.

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