UPDATE 7:23 a.m. PST: Jussie has been cut from the final two episodes of Season 5 of Empire. In a statement on Friday, series executives said:
“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.”
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No one supported Jussie Smollett more than his Empire costars when it seemed like he was the alleged victim of a hate crime attack in Chicago.
But now that police say he’s a suspect, his castmates are supposedly singing a much different, angrier tune!
Sources tell TMZ that several stars on the FOX drama feel betrayed by the 36-year-old after police claim he paid two men to stage the alleged January attack, and want him written off the program immediately.
The insider says many of Smollett’s castmates are “f**king furious” and feel that if producers don’t fire him, he should quit on his own, before he drags down the whole show with him. Many of the cast apparently feel hurt and embarrassed by the new evidence laid out by police, because they were so quick to support and defend him when the alleged attack was first reported.
One costar, Gabby Sidibe, even publicly walked back her support by deleting an Instagram post she uploaded midweek.
Video: Robin Roberts Reacts To Jussie’s Arrest
Smollett was apparently aware of this tension when he came to set straight Thursday following his arrest on a felony charge, as another TMZ source says he apologized to his colleagues — but maintained his innocence.
Sources on the Empire set say the cast and crew were waiting at least 30 minutes for Smollett to start the scheduled scene. When he eventually showed up, he was visibly emotional and surrounded by his family.
He reportedly said to everyone on set:
“I’m sorry I’ve put you all through this and not answered any calls. I wanted to say I’m sorry and, you know me, I would never do this to any of you, you are my family. I swear to God, I did not do this.”
Smollett left the set after his speech, the outlet reports. Apparently, producers told him to film his scene later, because it was obvious he had been crying a lot.
Related: Jussie Allegedly Received Drugs From One Of His ‘Attackers’!
The actor reportedly changed his number because certain irate costars were blowing up his phone. He’s only given his new number to the few cast and crew members who believe he’s telling the truth and can’t fathom him pulling off a hoax this extreme.
As we reported, the actor was released from custody after posting a $10k bond on Thursday and has been ordered to have no contact with the Osundairo brothers — the two Nigerian men he allegedly paid $3,500 to stage an attack on him.
According to court records, Smollett texted Abel Osundairo on January 25:
“Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face-to-face?”
Despite the mounting evidence, Smollett’s legal team is maintaining his innocence. They said in a statement yesterday:
“Today we 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. Mr. Smollett is a young man of impeccable character and integrity who fiercely and solemnly maintains his innocence and feels betrayed by a system that apparently wants to skip due process and proceed directly to sentencing.”
Do U think he’s innocent?
[Image via GMA.]