Yahoo News Empire to recast Jussie Smollett's character after his arrest?
Update: Empire bosses are reportedly considering a very unusual solution to the swirling Jussie Smollett controversy.
The Fox show's executive co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong released a joint statement with their executive producers on Friday (February 22) to announce that they would "remove the role of 'Jamal' from the final two episodes of the season", effectively suspending Jussie while his case goes on.
Now though, TVLine reports that Daniels is backing an ambitious plan to recast the character of Jamal Lyon for future seasons so the character wouldn't have to killed off. This option is apparently being actively considered by producers, but no decision has been made just yet.
Daniels's representative declined to comment on this latest news, as did a spokesperson for Empire.
Smollett was arrested and charged on Thursday by the Chicago district attorney's office with filing a false police report, following accusations that he staged a hate crime and falsely claimed to be a victim of a homophobic and racist attack. He denies these claims.
Original: Empire has suspended Jussie Smollett and will remove his character from the fifth season's final two episodes.
Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon on the Fox drama, was charged with a felony for filing a false police report, following accusations that he staged a hate crime and falsely claimed to be a victim of a homophobic and racist attack. He has denied these accusations.
Executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Glazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo, and Dennis Hammer have now released a statement (via TVLine).
"The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us," they said. "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 was released from jail on Thursday (February 21) after posting bond.
His lawyers Todd Pugh and Victor Henderson have said that they intend to mount a strong defence against the charge.
"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," they said.
Empire returns to Fox in the US on Wednesday, March 13.
Anyone who has witnessed or experienced a hate crime is urged to call the police on 101, Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit the True Vision website. In an emergency, always dial 999.
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