Showrunner "Empire" says it's "too early" to dismiss Jussie Smollett in the middle of a scandal

"Empire" is no stranger to conspiracies after five seasons of family dysfunction, but the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding actor Jussie Smollett has cast an undesirable shadow on the hit series.

Smollett was expelled from the last two episodes of the season in February after being arrested for filing a false police report, claiming he had been the victim of a racist and homophobic attack.

After a three – month hiatus, "Empire" returns Wednesday night for a new series of episodes, during a hectic period for the troupe and the team, amidst rumors of "bad luck". collapse of the plateau and a possible cancellation.

Executive producer and showrunner Brett Mahoney is now discussing the decision to temporarily cut Smollett's character, Jamal Lyon, and explain why the past few weeks have been a "moving roller coaster".

"It was a very difficult decision, but I think allowing the cast and the team to really do the job without too much disruption on a daily basis and the stress of everyday life. day, and in addition, give Jussie 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 Entertainment Weekly.

While the network and the "powers" of the empire had initially defended Smollett after the alleged attack, executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo, Dennis Hammer and Mahoney have finally chose to rework the last episodes avoid new disturbances on the set. "

"The events of recent weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. Jussie has been an important member of our 'Empire' family for five years and we love him immensely. Although these allegations are very worrying, we place our trust in the judicial system as the process unfolds, "said the producers 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 further disruption on the set, we decided to remove the role of & # 39; Jamal & # 39; ; the last two episodes of the season. "

The 36-year-old actor has since been indicted on 16 counts for allegedly organizing an attack on himself and then providing false information to the authorities.

While Smollett's legal drama continues to unfold off-screen, Mahoney says it's "too early" to determine if the star has a future in the series if she were to return for another season.

"It's about trusting the process and allowing the legal process to unfold and see where it goes from there. And it's too early to think about what to do if we did not have Jussie, "he told EW. "We have such a powerful ensemble 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 him."

And as for information that the series is about to cancel if Smollett were to be found guilty, Mahoney assured fans that the network was "really happy with what we've done creatively" this season.

"I'm not surprised we do not necessarily have a raise at this point because I think last season we waited until 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 that we will not be able to tell them. "