Charges against Jussie Smollett have been dropped following new developments in the case.

Update 4 (March 26, 11 AM ET): Jussie Smollett’s lawyers have announced that all 16 charges against the actor alleging he lied to police have been dropped and his record will be wiped clean.

In a bizarre twist, TMZ says State Attorney Kim Foxx has told police he would’ve only been asked to complete community service if he was convicted, and since he is apparently already participating in community service, there was no point in prosecuting.

TMZ also says that there “were issues with the $3,500 check the 2 brothers received from Jussie. The Police Superintendent had said the money was payment for the fake attack, but it appears it was actually for physical training.”

It has also become unclear who wrote the threatening letter that Jussie had received in the days leading up to the attack. Police had previously said it was written by Jussie, but it turns out the FBI “had not concluded who wrote the letter.”

“Jussie is relieved to have this situation behind him and is very much looking forward to focusing on his family, friends, and career,” his lawyers said in a statement.

Said the Cook County State Attorney’s office, “After reviewing all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including Mr. Smollett’s volunteer service in the community and agreement to forfeit his bond to the City of Chicago, we believe this outcome is a just disposition and appropriate resolution to this case.”

Update 3 (February 22, 10:30 AM ET): Fox has announced that Jussie Smollett will not appear in the final two episodes of Empire season 5 as his case plays out in court.

Said Empire’s producers in a statement:

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us. 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.”

Empire has been filming in Chicago but is close to wrapping production for the season. The show hasn’t technically fired him yet.

Update 2 (February 21, 10:30 AM ET): In a press conference Thursday morning, police say that Jussie Smollett sent himself a racist and homophobic letter in advance of the attack to help build his story. They allege that the letter and fake attack were created because he was dissatisfied with his salary on Empire. He paid his attackers $3,500 to work with him, and the wounds on Smollett’s face were allegedly self-inflicted.

Update (February 21, 9:30 AM ET): The actor turned himself in to Chicago Police on Thursday morning following the charge that came down Wednesday evening. Police will be speaking about the case later today at a press conference, and Smollett’s bail hearing is set for later in the day.

Original Story (February 20): News comes just hours after Chicago Police classified the Empire star as a suspect in the case opened after Smollett was the target of an alleged hate crime.

Now, Smollett faces felony criminal charges for filing a false police report in which the actor said he was a a victim of a racist, homophobic attack that took place in downtown Chicago just last month.

Chicago PD spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi took to Twitter to fill the public in on the new developments.

“Felony criminal charges have been approved by Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office against Jussie Smollett for Disorderly Conduct/Filing a False Police Report,” tweeted Guglielmi on Wednesday afternoon (February 20). “Detectives will make contact with his legal team to negotiate a reasonable surrender for his arrest.”

Earlier this very same afternoon, Guglielmi had filled in the public on a new development in the case, which has been the subject of much discussion over the course of the past few weeks.

At the time the tweets mainly revealed that Smollett was a suspect in the investigation.

“CPD has confirmed that a tip this morning about a sighting at the residential towers for individuals involved in the alleged incident is unfounded as it was not supported by video evidence obtained by detectives,” tweeted Guglielmi. “Case Update: Jussie Smollett is now officially classified as a suspect in a criminal investigation by #ChicagoPolice for filing a false report (Class 4 felony). Detectives are currently presenting evidence before a Cook County Grand Jury.”

This story is developing and will continue to be updated as more information is revealed…