The massive success of Fox’s hit drama Empire was completely derailed during its final seasons by the intense public scrutiny surrounding Jussie Smollett.
Now, Taraji P. Henson is opening up about the emotional toll it took on the cast, describing the sudden shift from a prime time powerhouse to a media circus. In a recent interview with Vulture ahead of her Broadway debut, Henson admitted that the entire situation felt like “a punch to family” for everyone involved.
The 2019 controversy, which centered on Smollett’s claims of being the victim of a hate crime that authorities later determined was staged, divided fans and heavily impacted the show’s legacy. Henson explained that watching the drama unfold was incredibly painful for the cast.
“It hurt because it was family,” Henson said, recalling the 2019 headlines. “And then to have people drag somebody who says, ‘I’m trying to tell you my truth and you’re telling me I’m lying’? That’s not a good place to be.”
Despite the heavy fallout that eventually led to Smollett’s character being written out of the final episodes, Henson noted that her former on screen son is doing well these days.
This isn’t the first time Henson has spoken out in defense of Smollett. Following his 2022 sentencing, where a judge ordered him to serve 150 days in jail for disorderly conduct related to the false police report, Henson publicly questioned the severity of the legal system’s response.
At the time, she advocated for leniency on social media, arguing that the punishment did not fit the crime and drew comparisons to broader disparities in the justice system.
