Jussie Smollett Has Been Axed From Empire Following His Arrest

Actor Jussie Smollett has been axed from Empire after he was charged for filing a false police report.

In a statement, the show’s executive producers said: “The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us.

“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.”

Smollett surrendered to authorities and was arrested early Thursday morning in Chicago. He is charged with filing a false police report and disorderly conduct.

The actor and musician recently claimed that he was the victim of an assault in Chicago, stating two men hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, beat him, poured bleach on him, and placed a rope around his neck.

It’s reported that Smollett could face jail time for the charges against him, with falsifying a police report being a Class 4 felony in Illinois.

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