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 The move came a day after the 36-year-old was charged with lying
to Chicago police about the allegedly staged incident, in which
he said two masked men beat him and slung a noose around his
neck while yelling racist and homophobic abuse.
Smollett's character, Jamal Lyon, will be removed from the final
two episodes of the current season of Empire, according to 20th
Century Fox Television, which said it wanted to avoid "further
disruption" on the set of the show.
Smollett faces up to three years in prison if convicted in the
case, which has become fodder for the culture wars that have
roiled the United States since Donald Trump's 2016 election.
"The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional
for all of us," Empire's co-creators and producers said in a
statement. "While these allegations are very disturbing, we are
placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out."
Lawyers for Smollett did not respond to a request for comment on
Friday. On Wednesday, they said they were conducting a thorough
investigation to form an aggressive defense.
According to court documents, the black and openly gay actor
wrote a personal check for $3,500 to two brother and gave them
$100 to buy the rope, ski masks, gloves and red baseball caps
that were used in the supposed attack on Jan. 29.
Police said Smollett hoped the incident would advance his career
and secure him a higher salary.
Detectives interviewed more than 100 people, reviewed footage
from more than 55 surveillance cameras, and executed more than
50 search warrants during the investigation. Officials did not
spell out how Smollett had hoped to boost his salary by staging
such a hoax.
ACTOR OUT ON BAIL
A judge set bail at $100,000 on Thursday and ordered Smollett to
surrender his passport. He was released after paying 10 percent
of the bail amount as stipulated by the judge.
According to an unnamed source cited by CNN, Smollett apologized
to the cast and crew on the set of Empire late on Thursday, but
maintained that he is innocent.
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While Smollett initially received an outpouring of support on social
media from fans, celebrities and some politicians, others were
skeptical about the attack, which he said took place outside his
Chicago apartment at 2 a.m. on a frigid night.
Among those who supported the actor were Democratic presidential
candidates Kamala Harris and Kirsten Gillibrand. On Thursday, Harris
said in a statement she was "sad, frustrated and disappointed" by
the latest reports. Gillibrand said she will wait to find out the
facts before making another statement.
In his account, the actor said his attackers also shouted "This is
MAGA country," referring to Trump's "Make America Great Again"
slogan.
Trump initially described the alleged attack on Smollett as
"horrible." After the actor was charged on Thursday, Trump tweeted
at him: "(W)hat about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you
insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?"
The president's critics have said his rhetoric has fueled racism and
violence, while his supporters say the press has unfairly cast Trump
and his supporters in a bad light.
The Walt Disney Co secured a $71 billion deal in July to acquire
21st Century Fox Inc's film and television assets, which means
"Empire" will belong to the production company.
Disney still needs the deal to be approved by more than a dozen
countries, including China, Russia and regulators from the European
Union.
A Disney representative did not immediately respond to a request for
comment on the allegations against Smollett.
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus in New York; Editing by David Gregorio)
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