Judging by a statement released on Tuesday, Fox Entertainment seems to be hedging their bets on alleged hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett. There are currently “no plans” to have Smollett’s character on “Empire” make an appearance — at least initially. However, the guy will still be getting paid, although details of his deal haven’t been made public yet.
Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox issued a statement concerning the 36-year-old professional liar — sorry, I meant actor — and said that “at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to ‘Empire.’”
While there are “no plans” to have Smollett magically reappear on the show as of yet, Fox “negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six.”
“We've been told that Jussie will not be on Empire in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open,” a spokesperson for Smollett told Fox News. “Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and Empire leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support.”
Am I the only one who finds people who have had “unwavering support” for Smollett either incredibly naive or generally dumb? Really? “Unwavering?” I can maybe understand friends or employers of Smollett continuing their support of the guy. But, you mean to tell me that support never wavered? Not once?
Only in Hollywood, I guess.
Smollett allegedly attempted to sow racial division in the U.S. by falsely attempting to make supporters of President Donald Trump look like racists by — again, allegedly — staging a “hate crime” attack on himself in which two white Trump supporters supposedly used rope and bleach to beat him up back in January.