This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The actor Terrence Howard, who plays the father of Jussie Smollett’s character on Empire, has expressed support for his fellow cast member amid allegations that Smollett staged a racist, anti-gay attack on himself.

Jussie Smollett cut from Empire after being charged with staging attack Read more

Howard, who plays music mogul Lucious Lyon on the Fox TV series, used Instagram to post a video of Smollett holding a giggling baby boy with the message: “All your lil homies got you … We love the hell outta you.”

Answering a critic, he wrote that the Smollett he knew “could never even conceive of something so unconscious and ugly”.

The post came a day after Empire producers announced that Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, would be removed from the final two episodes of the season, saying they made the move “to avoid further disruption on the set”.

The series, which is on a midseason break, returns on 13 March with nine episodes. Seven were completed before Smollett was charged last week with felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report.

Police say Smollett, who is black and gay, claimed two masked men attacked him last month in downtown Chicago, hurling slurs and looping a rope around his neck.

Investigators say he planned the hoax, soliciting the help of a friend and the friend’s brother, because he was unhappy with his salary and wanted to promote his career.

Smollett denies the allegations.

Some Empire cast members posted supportive messages on social media after Smollett claimed he was attacked. Fox publicly supported Smollett after the initial claims.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Terrence Howard, seen in New York. Photograph: Andy Kropa/Invision/AP

Howard’s post generated more than 385,000 views by midday on Sunday and countless comments, both critical and supportive.

In response to a critical comment, Howard wrote: “Sorry you feel that way but that’s the only Jussie that I know. The Jussie that I know could never even conceive of something so unconscious and ugly.

“His innocence or judgement is not for any of us to decide. Stay in your lane and my lane is empathy and love and compassion for someone that I’ve called my son for five years. It’s God’s job to judge and it is ours to love and hope, especially for those that we claim to have loved. There’s nothing more harmful than a fake friend! Real talk.”