“Empire” Renewed For Season Six; Jussie Smollett Will Not Return

In the wake of the Jussie Smollett controversy, over his alleged staged hate crime attack, his beloved character, Jamal Lyon, has been cut from the hit series, “Empire.” 

Back in March, two months after the alleged attack, Chicago officials filed charges against the actor for filing a false report. Weeks later, prosecutors moved to drop the charges, in an effort to focus on more significant crimes in Chicago. 

In turn, the city filed a lawsuit against the actor for the costs of the investigation. However, upon Smollett’s refusal to pay for the inconvenience of his alleged staged attack, sources say the actor will now have to face off against the city in court, where officials will determine whether or not Smollett filed a false report. Although it remains unclear if Fox will reconsider if Smollett wins the case, for now, his character is cut. 

“By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to ‘Empire,’” the network said in a statement. 

As for the rest of the cast and fans of the show, the good news is, the show has been renewed for a sixth season.