FOX removes Jussie ‘Jamal’ Smollett from Empire’s final season

Charlie Collier, CEO of Fox Entertainment has confirmed the embattled American actor and singer, Jussie Smollett would not return for the upcoming sixth and final season of Empire after being accused of faking a hate crime despite his contract renewal.

Collier who made this known as at the 2019 Television Critics Association summer press tour, said they announced his contract renewal along with the sixth and final season renewal because Fox was still gathering “all the information” in an effort “to make a good decision at the time.”

But Collier reiterated Lee Daniels’ previous comments and said, “Lee’s right there are no plans for Jussie to return to Empire.”

“..typically it’s about gathering right info and making sure we’re making the right decisions.”

Smollett, who has played musician Jamal Lyon since Empire debuted in 2015, was indicted back in March with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report claiming two Nigerian brothers, Olabinjo Osundairo and Abimbola Osundairo attacked him in an alleged homophobic and racist hate crime in Chicago.

It was also claimed that Smollett paid the Osundairo brothers $3,500 to orchestrate the incident.

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a press conference as at that time that Smollett, ‘took advantage of the pain and anger of racism to promote his career’.

The charges against him were suddenly dropped at the end of March after he pleaded not guilty to allegations that he lied to police. But he was ordered by the City of Chicago to pay $130,000 to cover the cost of working the case.

Jussie Smollet, who is still maintaining his innocence recently asked a judge to dismiss the $130,000 lawsuit filed by the City of Chicago.