Embattled actor <person>Jussie Smollett</person> will not appear in the final two episodes of "Empire" this season in the wake of the criminal charges he's facing for allegedly falsifying claims of a hate crime.
Producers of the Fox show "Empire" said that <person>Smollett</person>'s character will be removed from the final two episodes of the show.
The show's creators and executive producers <person>Lee Daniels</person>, <person>Danny Strong</person>, <person>Brett Mahoney</person>, <person>Brian Grazer</person>, <person>Sanaa Hamri</person>, <person>Francie Calfo</person> and <person>Dennis Hammer</person> released a joint statement confirming the news.