• Actor Jussie Smollett's character on Empire will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges that he staged a racial, anti-gay attack on himself last month in downtown Chicago, producers of the Fox TV show announced Friday. The announcement came a day after Smollett surrendered to police; appeared in court on a felony charge of disorderly conduct related to the reported filing of a false police report; and left jail after posting bond. "While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays," Empire executive producers Lee Daniels, Danny Strong, Brett Mahoney, Brian Grazer, Sanaa Hamri, Francie Calfo and Dennis Hammer said in a written statement. "We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show, and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of 'Jamal' from the final two episodes of the season." The series is on a midseason break and returns March 13 with nine episodes. The last two episodes of the fifth season were still being made when Smollett was charged. Smollett, who is black and gay, plays a gay character on the show that follows a black family as they navigate the ups and downs of the recording industry. Police said Smollett planned the hoax because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career. Before the attack, he also sent a letter that threatened him to the Chicago studio where Empire is shot, police said. Smollett is earning more than $100,000 per episode, according to a person familiar with the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because salary details were involved. The studio declined to comment on the actor's salary.
• A former American Idol and Fear Factor contestant who was arrested last year in Virginia with nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl will be allowed to live with her parents in New Jersey while awaiting trial. Antonella Barba, 32, was released Thursday after being fitted with a monitor to ensure she follows curfew. Barba was indicted this month on charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Prosecutors say she was a courier for a drug ring. She was previously charged with shoplifting in New York and has a felony marijuana case pending in Kansas. Barba reached the top 16 on American Idol in 2007, the year Jordin Sparks won. She competed on Fear Factor in 2012. Her attorney, James Broccoletti, declined to comment.
A Section on 02/23/2019