According to an official statement from the CEO of FOX, there are no plans whatsoever to bring Jussie Smollett back to the hit show, Empire.
Per PEOPLE, the actor, who is not returning for the show’s sixth season, shouldn’t be expected to even make cameos. During the network’s Television Critics Association tour on Wednesday (Aug. 7), Fox’s CEO Charlie Collier announced the news.
“We as much as anything in case like this, you try to get all the information and make a good decision,” Collier said. “[Lee Daniels] is right, there’s no plans for Jussie to return to Empire … typically it’s about gathering right info and making sure we’re making the right decisions.”
Smollett was indicted in March on 16 counts of disorderly conduct, after he allegedly filed a false police report. He claims that he was attacked by two Trump supporters physically and verbally in Chicago. All charges against him were dropped in March, however the FBI is currently investigating why they were dismissed.
“If it turned out that [Jussie orchestrated the attack], was guilty, and all of it’s accurate, then it will feel like a betrayal,” Daniels told Vulture.
