The cast of the hit Fox television series Empire has issued a letter to Fox and Disney requesting that actor Jussie Smollett be brought back to the series for its yet-to-be-announced sixth season, according to Deadline.
- Smollett was facing 16 felony charges and potentially years behind bars for allegedly staging a racist and homophobic attack on himself on January 29, but had those charges erased in March.
- The actor, who portrays the openly gay Jamal Lyon on Empire, will see his option on the show come up in late June and his future with the series is seemingly still up in the air.
- Smollett will be featured in tonight’s episode, but has already been written out of the final two episodes of the show’s current fifth season due to his legal issues, making this episode potentially the last time he is seen in the series.
- The letter comes from six stars of the series:
- Terrence Howard
- Taraji P Henson
- Bryshere Y. Gray
- Trai Byers
- Gabourey Sidibe
- Nicole Ari Parker
- Disney inherited this issue when its acquisition of Fox assets, including Empire, became official last month.
- Empire has not yet officially been renewed for a sixth season as Fox will have until next month to make that decision, though it is considered to be almost a certainty that it will be renewed.
What they’re saying:
- A sample from the cast’s letter: “Together, as a united front, we stand with Jussie Smollett and ask that our co-star, brother and friend be brought back for our sixth season of Empire. We understand the past months have been difficult to process—sometimes the headlines brought more confusion than clarity, yet we now have a conclusion to this ordeal. Throughout Empire’s five seasons working with Jussie and watching how he has conducted himself throughout this traumatic event, we have come to know not just the character Jussie portrays, but also truly come to know Jussie’s personal character. He is kind. He is compassionate. He is honest and above all he is filled with integrity. He is also innocent and no longer subject to legal uncertainty with the criminal charges against him having been dropped. We are confident in his lawyer’s assurance that the case was dismissed because it would not have prevailed.”