A few weeks after several of the stars of Fox’s hit television series
A few weeks after several of the stars of Fox’s hit television series «Empire» wrote a letter to executives and producers demanding the return of embattled actor Jussie Smollett, Fox Entertainment announced that this upcoming season will be the scandal-damaged show’s last.
«Just two weeks after the Charlie Collier-run Fox Entertainment renewed Lee Daniels and Danny Strong’s hip hop drama for a sixth season and showed controversy ladened Jussie Smollett towards the exit door, it was announced today on Fox’s Upfront call that the self described ‘groundbreaking cultural phenomenon’ of Empire will be canceled once Season 6 s done,» Deadline reports.
Collier told the press in a call announcing the end of the series that they plan to «go out guns a blazing.» However, when asked about the prospect of Smollett returning, the CEO said that while they have «an option» to reinstate him, they have «no plans» for that. «There’s an option to have Jussie in the series but we have no plans for that,» said Collier, Deadline notes.
The announcement of the show’s demise follows a series of ratings setbacks and ugly headlines starring the former star Smollett. The actor and singer was initially charged by Chicago prosecutors with multiple felony counts for allegedly faking a hate crime against himself that he blamed on Trump supporters before the Cook County State’s Attorney inexplicably dropped all charges, prompting more outrage from the public as well as key Chicago officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Chief Eddie Johnson.
Though Chicago prosecutors have made clear that the evidence against Smollett is convincing and the City of Chicago is currently suing Smollett for the $130,000, Smollett’s fellow «Empire» cast members wrote a letter on April 24 to showrunners and studio execs declaring the actor «innocent and no longer subject to legal uncertainty» and demanding his reinstatement.
