When Empire first premiered in 2015, it was a roaring success. The pilot received nearly 10 million viewers, with the season finale earning more than 17 million viewers. But in the wake of the Jussie Smollett scandal, Empire has experienced its lowest ratings in the show’s history.

The hip hop drama is currently in its fifth season and attracted just less than four million viewers on 20 March, according to Variety.

“We’ve Experience Pain And Anger”

In a video posted to his Instagram Wednesday afternoon, Empire creator Lee Daniels opened up about cast member Jussie Smollett.

“These past couple of weeks have been a freakin’ rollercoaster,” Daniels said in the video. “Me and my cast have experienced pain, anger, sadness and frustration, and really don’t know how to deal with it. This is not what the show was made for, the show was made to bring America together, to talk about the atrocities that are happening right now on the streets,” Daniels said in the video.

“The Allegations Are Disturbing”

36-year-old Smollett has been charged with filing a false police report and disorderly conduct. He allegedly hired two Nigerian brothers to beat him up to “get a pay rise on Empire,” according to police.

In a statement released by the Empire producers they announced the actor would be pulled from the final Season 5 episodes of the Fox series.

“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.”

Smollett Claimed He Fought His Attackers But New Evidence Has Emerged > > >