TV star, Jussie Smollett will likely not appear in the final two episodes of US TV drama, Empire, the show's producers have said. This comes a day aft
TV star, Jussie Smollett will likely not appear in the final two episodes of US TV drama, Empire, the show’s producers have said. This comes a day after he surrendered to the police, appeared in court on a felony charge of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, and left jail after posting bail.
In a statement, the show’s executive producers said Smollett’s character was being removed to avoid further disruption on set. It read: “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.”
Smollett, 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 industry.
Meanwhile, Smollett reportedly begged his Empire family to believe he is innocent amidst the whole ‘staged-attack’ allegations. According to TMZ, the empire cast and crew waited at least 30minutes for Jussie to begin the scheduled scene. When he eventually showed up, he was very emotional and surrounded by his family.
“I’m sorry I’ve put you all through this and not answered any calls. I wanted to say I’m sorry and, you know me, I would never do this to any of you, you are my family. I swear to God, I did not do this.” he said.
After the apology, Jessie left the scene but later came back to shoot the scene, even though it was obvious he had been crying a lot.
