He’s already been written out of the last two episodes of Empire , but Jussie Smollett’s arrest could have an affect on the fate of the entire show.
The US TV series, which is currently in its fifth season, has yet to be officially renewed by FOX for its sixth, and according to TMZ , staff are worried about their jobs.
Sources from the show have reportedly said that “anxiety is high” over the delay as several other shows on the same network have already been told of their continuation or cancellation.
TMZ also indicates that even if the show is renewed for a sixth season, Empire bosses have “expressed serious reservations” about Jussie returning to the show after his character Jamal was removed from the end of the series.
Production on the show believe that Jussie’s arrest, for allegedly staging a racially motivated and homophobic attack on himself, will have a significant impact on the TV executives’ decision.
Jussie has been charged with 16 felony counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.
If found guilty he faces a maximum sentence of three years behind bars, a $25,000 fine and 60 years probation and is currently out on $100,000 bail.
The telly star, 36, is accused of hiring thugs to beat him up to stage a race hate crime allegedly in a desperate bid to boost his career.
It was revealed that TV bosses had taken the decision to remove Jussie’s character Jamal from the final two episodes of the fifth season, which is currently airing.
Bosses at 20th Century Fox TV released a statement on Twitter , which said: “Please find a new statement from Empire Executive Producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer:
“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.” -Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer, executive producers of Empire.”
It’s believed that Jussie’s character Jamal will be “out of the country” at the end of the series.