“It felt like it was in the best interests of the show and the cast.”
Last month, Fox’s Empire executives were debating whether Jussie Smollett should return for the show’s final season as a way to cohesively end the series sixth and final chapter. Jussie was booted off the show after he was accused of staging a racial and homophobic attack on himself in Chicago, which lead the actor to be sued by the city. “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,” showrunner Brett Mahoney said of the debate.
Page Six now reports that a decision has been made and Jussie will not be returning as the network believes he would “overshadow” the show that’s “bigger than him.”
“There were many points of view about if he should come back or if he shouldn’t,” Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn explained. Ultimately it was decided that his scandal was simply too damaging.
“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,” Michael added. “Our hope is that all of the controversy surrounding Jussie doesn’t overshadow the show, which we think is bigger than him.” Smollett may not be returning to Empire, but he is apparently due for another season dealing with the Chicago Police Department.
Apparently, Google has been ordered to turn over actor Jussie Smollett’s emails and other private information to a special prosecutor investigating the allegedly staged attack reported by the “Empire” actor last year, The Chicago Tribune reported Wednesday.
A Cook County judge on Dec. 6 signed off on two warrants ordering Google to supply the information. Investigators’ reportedly sought Smollett’s emails, photos, location data and private messages from November 2018 to November 2019. The warrants are part of the investigation of special prosecutor Dan Webb, who was appointed to the case in August where the State Attorney’s office dropped charges against Smollett for allegedly filing a false report claiming he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack at the end of January 2019.
What do you guys think of all of this? Do you think this case should continue to be investigated? Are you sad this his character won’t be apart of Empire’s final bow?
