Jussie Smollett will NOT return for the final season of Empire despite previous reports
Jussie Smollett will NOT return for the final season of Empire despite previous reports
- Just weeks after it was reported that embattled actor Jussie Smollett may return for the sixth and final season of Empire, it was confirmed that is not the caseÂ
- Actor, 37, was axed in season five after he was accused of fabricating a racist and homophobic attack by Nigerian-descent brothers Abel and Ola OsundairoÂ
- He was charged by a grand jury with 16 felony counts of lying to police but all of the charges were sensationally dropped by SA Kim Foxx’s officeÂ
- Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney previously told TVLine that discussions are underway to possibly have Jussie return as it would be ‘weird’ to end the show without himÂ
- He said: ‘It’s fair to say it’s being discussed, but there’s no plan as of yet to bring him back. There’s been no decision made.’Â
Just weeks after it was reported that embattled actor Jussie Smollett may return for the sixth and final season of Empire, it was confirmed that is not the case.Â
Actor, 37, was axed in season five after he was accused of fabricating a racist and homophobic attack by Nigerian-descent brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo.Â
He was charged by a grand jury with 16 felony counts of lying to police but all of the charges were sensationally dropped by SA Kim Foxx’s office.Â
‘We’re not going to bring Jussie back to the show,’ Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn revealed to TV Line.
‘There were a number of factors that went into the decision to not bring him back. There were many points of view about if he should come back or if he shouldn’t,’ Thorn added.
No return:Â Just weeks after it was reported that embattled actor Jussie Smollett may return for the sixth and final season of Empire, it was confirmed that is not the case
‘As hard as a decision as that was, for us — and when I say us I mean the network, the studio and the producers — it felt like it was in the best interests of the show and the cast,’ he added.
‘Our hope is that all of the controversy surrounding Jussie doesn’t overshadow the show, which we think is bigger than him,’ he added.
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Just weeks earlier, Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney indicated to TV Line that there are discussions under way to bring Smollett, 37, back as Jamal Lyon.
Best interests: ‘As hard as a decision as that was, for us — and when I say us I mean the network, the studio and the producers — it felt like it was in the best interests of the show and the cast,’ he added
‘It would be weird in my mind to end this family show and this family drama of which he was such a significant part of without seeing him,’ Mahoney said in December.
‘It’s fair to say it’s being discussed, but there’s no plan as of yet to bring him back. There’s been no decision made,’ he added.Â
Six months earlier, Empire creator Lee Daniels made it emphatically clear that Smollett would not return on Twitter, stating, ‘Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire.’
Weird:Â ‘It would be weird in my mind to end this family show and this family drama of which he was such a significant part of without seeing him,’ Mahoney said in December
Smollett broke out as Jamal Lyon in Empire, which debuted on Fox in 2015, though he was written out of the show abruptly after a bizarre brush with the law.
In January 2019, the actor claimed he was attacked outside of his apartment in Chicago, claiming they hurled homophobic slurs at the gay actor.
He said the two men, clad in ski masks, assaulted him with their fists and feet and made references to ‘MAGA country’ referring to Donald Trump’s Make America Great Again slogan.Â
Attack:Â Smollett broke out as Jamal Lyon in Empire, which debuted on Fox in 2015, though he was written out of the show abruptly after a bizarre brush with the law
But in February 2019, Smollett was charged with filing a false police report and arrested, though all the charges were dropped in March.
The actor reached a deal where he was to perform 16 hours of community service and forfeit his $10,000 bond.
The FBI announced in March that they were investigating why the charges were dropped in the bizarre case.Â
False:Â But in February 2019, Smollett was charged with filing a false police report and arrested, though all the charges were dropped in March
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