Many on the ‘Empire’ set don’t want Jussie Smollett back on the show
A large number of 'Empire' cast and crew members still believe that Jussie Smollett staged the hate-crime attack and are angry he won't face consequences.
Following the stunning news that Chicago prosecutors had decided to drop all 16 charges against Jussie Smollett, some writers and producers of his show “Empire” took to social media to celebrate and to proclaim it was time to get back to work with him.
But that jubilation wasn’t shared by many of Smollett’s “Empire” colleagues, who seem to be more in agreement with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel that a “whitewash of justice” had taken place.
According to TMZ, many in the cast and crew feel uneasy being associated with Smollett.
Citing “production sources,” TMZ reported that “there are a number of people on the ‘Empire’ set who share the view that Smollett staged the attack and are shocked by the lack of consequences.”
These cast and crew members “don’t want him back on the show” because they are especially offended by the allegation that Smollett faked the attack to garner publicity to demand a higher salary.
In a stunning, widely criticized move, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office on Tuesday announced that it had dropped all criminal charges against the 36-year-old actor and LGBTQ activist.
Smollett was indicted earlier this month on charges of lying to police about a Jan. 29 hate-crime attack. He claimed that two men attacked him near his Chicago apartment, beat him, shouted racist and homophobic slurs and tied a rope around his neck. Chicago police concluded that Smollett had staged to attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary.”
In a statement, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office said it stood by the police investigation and insisted that its decision to drop the charges does not mean that Smollett had been exonerated.
Instead, the office explained that this sort of “alternative prosecution” is normal practice in nonviolent cases. First Assistant State’s Attorney Joseph Magats said the office’s “priority” is prosecuting violent crime. In a statement, the office added that it has “referred more than 5,700 cases for alternative prosecution. This is not a new or unusual practice.”
“An alternative disposition does not mean that there were any problems or infirmities with the case or the evidence,” according to the statement. “We stand behind the Chicago Police Department’s investigation and our decision to approve charges in this case. We did not exonerate Mr. Smollett.”
The office also said that dropping the charges against Smollett was a “just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.”
In exchange for prosecutors agreeing to drop the charges, Smollett agreed to do community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond to the city.
But Emanuel said at a news conference Tuesday that the $10,000 forfeited by Smollett “doesn’t even come close to what the city spent in resources to actually look over the cameras, go through data, gather all the information that actually brought the indictment by the grand jury.”
Emanuel and police Superintendent Eddie Johnson also were outraged by the prosecutors’ decision because they had not received the courtesy of being notified; they heard the news themselves during a graduation ceremony for recruits.
“It’s a punch in the gut. Is absolutely a punch in the gut,” Commander Ed Wodnicki told NBCChicago. “We worked closely throughout our three-week investigation to get to the point where we arrested the offender. For the state’s attorney at this point to dismiss charges without discussing this with us at all is just shocking.”
The prosecutors’ decision to let Smollett off the hook was widely mocked and derided on social media, making it difficult to see how “Empire” could weave the actor’s character, Jamal Lyon, back into the show.
Following his arrest, Smollett was cut from the final two episodes of “Empire’s” fifth season. Fox, the studio and network behind “Empire,” declined to fire Smollett at the time.
On Tuesday, Fox appeared to still stand behind the actor. “Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed,” the network said in a statement.
But Empire writers and producers who praised the prosecutors’ decision have faced major backlash for tweeting their happiness that that the charges had been dropped.
The @EmpireWriters Twitter account was filled with people expressing disgust, with some saying they would boycott the show.
As a gay man who has been the victim of true discrimination, I am ashamed that your show is celebrating this. Maybe you missed the press release from the PD and Mayor this afternoon?
— Tim Tim (@timnexis) March 26, 2019
“Is this when we start boycotting the advertisers for Empire?? That’s how this works, right?” added another person.
Maybe y’all can write a story about a b-level actor who fakes an attack on himself and blames it on at MAGA hat and a 5$ foot long.
But who would believe that?— Rob Dew (@DewsNewz) March 26, 2019
The Daily Beast noted that Smollett’s legal troubles may not be over. The FBI and U.S. Postal Service are continuing investigations into a hateful, threatening letter sent to Smollett eight days before the alleged attack. The question is whether Smollett sent the letter himself, a possibility that could result in federal charges.