Empire Execs Cut Smollett's Character From Final Episodes

Today in Tha Wire the fallout continues as more news surrounding Empire star Jussie Smollett and his fabricated attack. CNN reports the actor appeared in court Thursday afternoon and had very little to say for himself. Matter of fact, the only time he said something was to reportedly confirm his name to the judge. Smollett had been in police custody since being arrested and charged for filing a false hate crime Wednesday this week. The Breakfast Club reveals even more details about what the Chicago police investigation turned up.

His defense team reportedly told the court Smollett wasn't a flight risk and managed to get the star released. Using his philanthropic work to make their case, the judge set his bail at $100,000 and Smollett bonded out of jail after paying $10,000. He was ordered to give up his passport and will remain under supervision until the judge determines a ruling on his fate. Below is a look at the press conference delivered by the Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson on Thursday, February 21, 2019.

In the meantime, Empire execs are speaking out saying, "The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us." It's worth noting they did their best to stand by Smollett, even when suspicions arose that there was something was wrong with his story. Last week according to reports the network folks at 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment released a statement saying:

"The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of 'Empire' is patently ridiculous," they stated further "He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him."

After his arrest Thursday, they were forced to change their tune. At this point there's little anyone can do to defend Smollett. Empire released another statement yesterday saying:

"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."

I gotta say I'm not surprised the folks at Empire did this. I can't see them bringing him back either, because a lot of his fellow castmates are very upset with him. It's unfortunate, but the multi-talented actor/singer did this to himself. The disgusting thing about it is everybody loved and admired him. He was already a star, and well on his way to becoming a mega-superstar.