The actor Jussie Smollett, one of the figures in the Empire series, was thrown out of the recordings after the fraud
Jussie has been an important member of our EMPIRE family for the past five years and we care deeply for him. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are trusting the system legal as the process unfolds," the series' executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo, and Dennis Hammer said in a statement sent to The Magazine.
The move was taken after the scandal became public. Chicago police became suspicious of Smollett's account after questioning two Nigerian brothers whom the actor had accused of an alleged hate attack.
"We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and cast members working on our show and to avoid further disruption to the ensemble, we have decided to remove the role of 'Jamal' from the last two episodes of the season.", continues the statement confirming the expulsion of the artist who turned himself into the authorities yesterday after investigators confirmed that it was all a fraud.
Chicago Police revealed that Smollett orchestrated an attack against him more than three weeks ago and said that he had been the victim of a hate crime. The reason for the fraud? Progress in his artistic career.
The actor is in custody and faces disorderly conduct charges for allegedly filing a false report, alleging that he was attacked by two men -including a masked one-, early on January 29 in that city in the United States.
"The fable was staged because he was unhappy with his salary," Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson reported. According to police speculation, the actor would have believed that by getting press for being an alleged victim of a hate crime due to his s-, he would get more fame and the producers should increase his pay.
The authorities criticized the famous for "taking advantage of the pain and suffering generated by racism to advance professionally."
The investigation also revealed that the questioned actor paid USD 3,500 to the brothers Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, to simulate the attack and in turn "drag Chicago's reputation through the mud." "We have the check they received," Johnson explained, adding that the actors were to receive another $500 when they returned from their trip to Nigeria.
