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Empire ends season five without Jamal Lyon. Jussie Smollett has been written on the last two episodes of the season while his actual legal drama is playing out. It was a "difficult decision", according to the executive producer Brett Mahoney.
"It was a very difficult decision, but I think allowing the cast and the team to do the job well without too much disruption for the day-to-day and day-to-day stress, and, in addition, give Jussie the time to really deal with what he has been facing and allow him to focus and prepare his record, this seems to be the logical decision to make, "Mahoney told EW.
Following the arrest of Smollett for filing a false police report in February 2019, Mahoney, Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer announced the character of Smollett would be written on the show.
"The events of the last few weeks have been incredibly moving for all of us – Jussie has been an important part of our Empire family for five years and we love him deeply. Although these allegations are very worrying, we place our trust in the judicial system as the process unfolds, "the producers said in a statement. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the actors and team members working on our series and to avoid any further disruption on the set, we decided to remove the role of & # 39; Jamal & # 39; the last two episodes of the season. "
Regarding the future of Smollett with EmpireMahoney told EW that producers are now waiting to see how everything will work out for Smollett legally.
"It's about trusting in the process and allowing the legal process to unfold and see where it's going from there, and it's too early to think about what we should do if we're not going to do it. We had a set and we have so many stories to tell for all these fascinating characters that it's bigger than a character, but it's too early to think about the show without it, "he said. he declares.
Empire returns for the remainder of season five on Wednesday, March 13, and despite rumors, Mahoney said that he did not think the series would be in danger of cancellation due to Smollett's legal problems.
"I know the network and the studio are really happy with what we've done creatively this season, and I'm not surprised we do not necessarily have a raise, because I think last season we waited until the month of May "he said. "All I have to say is that we will be, and we have so many stories to tell, so I can not imagine we can not tell them."
Empire Wednesdays, 9pm on Fox.
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