Scenes featuring Jussie Smollett on the TV show “Empire” have been drastically cut amid the apparent unraveling of his tale about being the victim of a hate attack, according to reports Tuesday.
The actor, who plays singer-songwriter Jamal Lyon on the hit Fox show, was supposed to have nine scenes and a big musical performance in the second-to-last episode of Season 5, production sources told TMZ.
But five scenes and the musical number have been axed, the site reported.
Smollett’s character is also no longer the focus of his remaining four scenes, which will now feature an ensemble of characters, the report said.
The 36-year-old actor is spending far less time on set as a result, the report said.
He’ll be working Friday and possibly Thursday but won’t be rehearsing.
“Empire” writers have been scrambling over the past days to revise this season’s scripts.
Smollett claims he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack near his Chicago apartment Jan. 29, but suspicion has since emerged that he offered to pay two friends — Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo — $4,000 to help stage the assault.
According to Deadline Hollywood, there are no plans yet to make any changes to the remaining episodes that have already been filmed.
Filming for “Empire” resumed Tuesday, with the series set to return to TV on March 13, Deadline reported.
On Monday, the show’s executive producer Brett Mahoney reiterated his support for the embattled actor.
“I believe and stand by @JussieSmollett . Keep your head up. @EmpireWriters @EmpireFOX,” Mahoney tweeted.
Mahoney has stayed consistent in his support of Smollett, first responding to the attack at Fox’s TCA presentation on Feb. 6.
“Jussie is a proud, gay black man, and I’m not sure if the cowards were trying to beat the pride, gay or black out of him but he’s strong and we’re happy he’s back at work,” Mahoney said on stage at the event.
Last week, speculation swirled that Smollett may have staged the attack because he was being written off the show — a rumor that was quickly slapped down by Fox executives.
“The idea that Jussie Smollett has been, or would be, written off of ‘Empire’ is patently ridiculous,” said 20th Century Fox TV and Fox Entertainment in a statement at the time.
“He remains a core player on this very successful series and we continue to stand behind him.”