Yes it is a big deal for the show, Jussie plays the son of the main family the show is based on. He also had a musical performance in most every episode. But they could explain him suddenly being gone. I just hope he hasn't ruined the show for everyone who works so hard to put the show on!
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On Fri, 2/22/19, SHARON ceegee2006@yahoo.com [BigBrother_Survivor] <BigBrother_Survivor@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

Subject: [BigBrother_Survivor] Jussie Smollett's 'Empire' role cut from season's final episodes, creators say
To:
Date: Friday, February 22, 2019, 1:02 PM

























 Any
Empire viewers? I have never watched it . Does he have a big
role or just a small one? If he is cut from the final
episodes how will it work with the show?
 
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/jussie-smolletts-empire-role-cut-from-seasons-final-episode-creators-sayJussie
Smollett's 'Empire' role cut from season's
final episodes, creators say
By Sasha Savitsky | Fox
NewsJussie Smollett's character
has been removed from the final two episodes of the upcoming
season of Fox's "Empire," the show's
executives said Friday."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," co-creators Lee Daniels and Brett Mahoney and
executive producers Danny Strong, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri,
Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer told Fox News."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,"
the statement continued.The
second half of Season 5 of "Empire" returns to Fox
on March 13.JUSSIE SMOLLETT RETURNS TO 'EMPIRE'
SET AFTER ARREST FOR ALLEGED STAGED
ATTACKWhile
these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our
trust in the legal system as the process plays
out—
"Empire" executive
producers
This image released by Fox shows Jussie Smollett, left, and
A.Z. Kelsey in a scene from the "Pride" episode of
"Empire" which originally aired on Oct. 10, 2018.
Smollett's co-starring role in "Empire" may end up
being the pinnacle of his career, industry observers and
insiders said as the actor faces criminal charges that he
faked a hate crime against himself.
The
statement comes after Smollett returned to the Chicago set of
"Empire" on Thursday just hours after
posting bail on a felony disorderly conduct
charge.Earlier
on Thursday, Fox said: "We understand the
seriousness of this matter and we respect the legal process.
We are evaluating the situation and we are considering our
options."Smollett
walked out of the Cook County jail in Chicago on
Thursday afternoon, about two hours after a hearing in which
the judge set his bond at $100,000. Taking a stern tone, the
judge called his alleged staging of a hate crime
"outrageous."CHICAGO POLICE BLAST JUSSIE SMOLLETT
'PHONY ATTACK': 'BOGUS POLICE REPORTS CAUSE REAL
HARM'VideoFollowing
three weeks of mounting suspicions, Smollett, who is accused
of filing a false police report, was charged Wednesday
with felony disorderly conduct. He turned himself in
at central booking early Thursday. If convicted,
he'll face up to three years in prison.Chicago
police laid out their case against
Smollett Thursday morning, accusing the TV star of
orchestrating an elaborate hoax via two
"bogus" hate crimes -- one employing an
alleged attack, and one involving a threatening letter --
all in order to secure a pay raise.Chicago
Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson
said Smollett orchestrated a "phony
attack" in order to take "advantage of the pain
and anger of racism to promote his career.."'EMPIRE' ACTOR JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S
BOND SET AT $100G, JUDGE CALLS EVIDENCE AGAINST HIM
'OUTRAGEOUS'"I'm
left hanging my head and asking why," a visibly upset
Johnson told reporters. "Why would anyone,
especially an African-American man, use the symbolism of a
noose to make false accusations? How could someone look at
the hatred and suffering associated with that symbol? ...
How can an individual who has been embraced by the city of
Chicago turn around and slap everyone in this city by making
this false claim?"He
added, "Bogus police reports cause real
harm."VideoIn a statement obtained by Fox News
Thursday, Smollett's legal counsel said the
nation "witnessed an organized law enforcement
spectacle that has no place in the American legal
system."The
presumption of innocence, a bedrock in the search for
justice, was trampled upon at the expense of Mr. Smollett
and notably, on the eve of a Mayoral election," his
team continued."Mr.
Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and
integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence
betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due
process and proceed directly to sentencing."Smollett
initially told police he was attacked by two masked men as
he was walking home from a Subway sandwich shop around 2 a.m
on Jan. 29. The actor, who is black and gay, said
the men beat him, made derogatory comments and yelled,
"This is MAGA country" — an apparent reference
to President Trump's campaign slogan, "Make
America Great Again" — before fleeing.JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S CELEBRITY SUPPORTERS
LARGELY SILENT AFTER CHICAGO POLICE BLAST 'EMPIRE'
ACTOR'S 'HOAX'But
this isn't how prosecutors and police say things
actually unfolded.Prosecutors
said at the actor's bond hearing that Smollett
misled police and the public to believe that his attackers
were white when he told police his primary attacker was
wearing a ski mask that only exposed the area around
his eyes.Police
said Smollett hired two black men to help him carry out
the hoax. According to prosecutors, Smollett told the two
brothers to attack him, shout out the MAGA line, and put a
rope around his neck.JUSSIE SMOLLETT'S ALLEGED CHICAGO ATTACK
DETAILS UNFOLD: A TIMELINE OF
EVENTSVideo"He
instructed them to get his attention by yelling
'"Empire" F--' and '"Empire"
n-----' [and] instructed them to give him a chance to
appear to fight back," Assistant State Attorney
Risa Lanier said. Lanier said he provided them with $100 to
purchase a red hat (the MAGA slogan is often found on red
ballcaps) masks and gloves.Superintendent
Johnson said police found the "check that [Smollett]
used to pay [the brothers]" to fake the beating, adding
that he paid them $3,500 "for the two of them in
total, and then $500 upon return."He
said the attack "was staged" and "as far as
we can tell, the scratching and bruising that you saw on
[Smollett's] face was most likely
self-inflicted."Johnson
was also incensed at the spotlight the incident put on his
town for the past three weeks."This
is shameful because it painted this city that we all love
and work hard in, in a negative connotation," he said.
"To insinuate and stage a hate crime of that nature
when he knew that as a celebrity he'd get a lot of
attention… It's despicable. It makes you wonder what's
going through someone's mind."COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY RECUSES
HERSELF FROM JUSSIE SMOLLETT
CASEVideo"As
a black man, who spent his entire life living in the city of
Chicago, I know the racial divide that exists here. I know
how hard it's been for our city and our nation to
come together," he said. Johnson added that
"absolute justice would be an apology to this city that
he smeared ... admitting what he did and then be man enough
to offer what he should offer up in terms of all the
resources that were put into this.""Empire"
is shot in Chicago and follows a black family as they
navigate the ups and downs of the recording
industry.In
less than a month, the 36-year-old changed from being the
seemingly sympathetic victim of a hate crime to being
accused of fabricating the entire affair for money and
attention.The
felony charge emerged on the same day detectives and the two
brothers, who were initially viewed as suspects, testified
before a grand jury. Smollett's attorneys met with
prosecutors and police, but it was unknown what they
discussed or whether Smollett attended the
meeting.CNN'S DON LEMON: IT'S 'NOT HIS
FAULT' JUSSIE SMOLLETT LOST IN THE 'COURT OF PUBLIC
OPINION'VideoPolice
said the investigation shifted after they questioned
the two brothers who were in the area that morning. Police
said Thursday that Smollett spoke to the brothers an hour
before and an hour after he says they helped the actor stage
last month's attack.SMOLLETT'S LAWYERS DENY HE PLANNED
ATTACK AFTER CHICAGO COPS CLAIM HE'S NO LONGER
CONSIDERED A VICTIM IN CASEDetective
Commander Edward Wodnicki said at the news conference
Thursday that after questioning the brothers for
nearly two days last week, they were released and
investigators no longer viewed them as suspects.The
brothers, who were identified by their attorney as Abimbola
"Abel" and Olabinjo "Ola" Osundairo,
were initially held for nearly 48 hours on suspicion of
assaulting Smollett. Police said one of the men had worked
on "Empire," and Smollett's attorneys said one
of the men is the actor's personal trainer, whom he
hired to help get him physically ready for a music video.
The actor released his debut album, "Sum of My
Music," last year.Investigators
said they have phone records that show there were extensive
communications between Smollett and the brothers. Lanier
said Thursday afternoon that one of the brothers, Abel, was
a source of "designer drugs," including Molly, for
the actor.SHARPTON, AT MEETING WITH KAMALA HARRIS,
SAYS SMOLLETT SHOULD FACE 'MAXIMUM' PUNISHMENT IF
ALLEGATIONS TRUEVideoWodnicki
said the brothers testified before a grand jury before
prosecutors charged Smollett on Wednesday.. Smollett
was charged by prosecutors, not the grand jury. Police
spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the brothers appeared
before the panel to "lock in their
testimony."Speaking outside the courthouse where the
grand jury met on Wednesday, the brothers' attorney said
the two men testified for about two-and-a-half
hours."There
was a point where this story needed to be told, and they
manned up and they said we're going to correct
this," Gloria Schmidt said.She
said her clients did not care about a plea deal or immunity.
"You don't need immunity when you have the
truth," she said.JUSSIE SMOLLETT DIDN'T GIVE BRETT
KAVANAUGH THE PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE BUT ASKS FOR IT
NOWShe
also said her clients received money from Smollett, but she
did not elaborate. Smollett has been active in LBGTQ issues,
and initial reports of the assault drew outrage and support
for him on social media, including from Sen. Kamala Harris
of California and TV talk show host Ellen
DeGeneres.VideoBut
several hours after Smollett was declared a suspect and the
charges announced, there was little reaction from celebrities
online.TRUMP SLAMS JUSSIE SMOLLETT FOR SMEARING
SUPPORTERS WITH 'RACIST AND DANGEROUS
COMMENTS'Smollett
has a record, one that concerns giving false
information to police when he was pulled over on suspicion
of driving under the influence. He later pleaded no contest
to a reduced charge and took an alcohol education and
treatment program.The
Associated Press contributed to this report.You
can find Sasha Savitsky on Twitter @SashaFB.