Empire executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer announced in a statement on Thursday that they have collectively decided to nix Smollett's character, Jamal Lyon, from the final two episodes of Empire's fifth season as a result of the charges against him.

https://www.tvguide.com/news/jussie-smollett-empire-season-5-cut/