Producers of the Fox drama Empire on Friday announced that they have cut Jussie Smollett from the remainder of the show's fifth season.

The news came a day after Smollett, who is black and gay, was arrested in connection with filing a false police report claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack that allegedly took place last month in Chicago. Police believe Smollett orchestrated his own attack because he was “dissatisfied with his salary” on Empire.

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” producers said in a statement. “Jussie has been an important member of our Empire family for the past five years and we care about him deeply. While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. 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.”

After Smollett turned himself in to police on Thursday, 20th Century Fox TV and Fox Entertainment said that they were “evaluating the situation” and considering their “options.”

Smollett declared his innocence to the cast and crew of Empire on Thursday after he was released on $100,000 bail. According to Deadline Hollywood, the short reunion was “very stressful for everyone.”

Many had questioned why Smollett had refused to hand over his cellphone to police. Prosecutors in court on Thursday presented texts between Smollett and the two brothers whom Smollett allegedly hired to attack him that included plans on how to carry out the attack.