‘Empire’ Executive Producer Considering Jussie Smollett Comeback for Show Finale

Monica Sanchez | December 18, 2019
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Showrunner and executive producer of “Empire,” Brett Mahoney, is reportedly considering bringing Jussie Smollett back for the show’s finale.

Mahoney in an interview with TVLine said that, “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.”

“It’s fair to say it’s being discussed,” he continued, “but there’s no plan as of yet to bring him back. There’s been no decision made.”

As TVLine reports, “Smollett, who had played Lucious’ musician son Jamal since Empire debuted in 2015, was written out of the final episodes of Season 5 following a headline-grabbing brush with the law. The actor claimed he was beaten up by two men wearing ‘MAGA’ hats who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, and then was accused of fabricating the attack and charged with making a false police report. The charges were later dropped, but the scandal seemed to end Smollett’s run on Empire.”

It would be interesting to see how the cast and the series creator Lee Daniels would react.

Daniels tweeted back in June amid speculation whether Smollett would be in the sixth and final season of “Empire” that Smollett would “NOT be returning” to the show.

The Fox Entertainment studio in April extended Smollett’s contract to keep his “options open” but ultimately the actor was not brought back onto the show. That is, not yet.  

Mahoney floated the idea as the show, which has run six seasons, is coming to an end this spring.

Smollett is currently suing the city of Chicago for what he claims was "malicious prosecution," to which the Chicago Law Department responded by indicating that it plans to continue its efforts to secure payment for its investigation into his false claims.

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