‘Empire’ Renewed For Sixth Season, But Jussie Smollett’s Fate Still Unknown

Bella Breakdown

Jussie Smollett may not be everyone’s favorite person after claiming to be the victim of a racist and homophobic attack, but the Fox network still has a love for his former show. On Tuesday, it was announced that ‘Empire’ will be returning for a sixth season, but sadly for Smollett it’s unlikely he will return.

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

After allegedly making false claims in February, Smollett was charged for filing the untrue statements before having the charges dropped in March. However, the damage was done to the star’s career and he was written out of the final two episodes of the current season.

The news comes after Smollett’s castmates wrote a letter to Fox pleading with the company to let their co-star return to the show. Though he will not be seen at the beginning of the upcoming sixth season, a representative for the actor says there’s a chance fans will see him again later on.

“We’ve been told that Jussie will not be on ‘Empire’ at the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open,” the representative said.

Watch the video above for more information on Smollett’s unknown future with ‘Empire.’