Jussie Smollett’s character Jamal will not appear in the final two episodes of Empire, the Fox show’s executive producers have said.
Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report after alleging he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, authorities have said.
Police in Chicago had earlier said the 36-year-old actor was being considered as a suspect in the case and have now confirmed charges have been brought against him.
He has been charged by Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office with disorderly conduct and filing a false police report. Police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said detectives are now looking to arrest Smollett.
In a statement, Fox 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.”
Lawyers acting on behalf of Smollett have said they will mount an “aggressive defence” to the charges.
Lawyers Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson said in a statement: “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 defence.”
It did not say where Smollett is and when he might turn himself in to police. Read more