Empire is ending season five without Jamal Lyon. Jussie Smollett was written out of the final two episodes of the season while his real-life legal drama plays out. It was a “difficult decision,” according to executive producer Brett Mahoney.
“It was a very difficult decision, but I think in terms of allowing the cast and the crew to really get the work done without a great deal of disruption in terms of the day-to-day and the stress of the day-to-day, and, in addition, allowing Jussie the time to really deal with what he’s been confronted with and allow him the time to focus and prepare his case, this seems like the logical decision to make,” Mahoney told EW.