Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Jussie Smollett will NOT return to Empire

There are constant rumors circling the idea of Jussie Smollett being invited back to ‘Empire’ for it’s last season.  So Lee Daniels is setting the record straight.

Daniels felt he had to respond to a recent report in Variety which claimed multiple sources said that “Empire’s” writing staff was breaking ideas for the show’s sixth and final season with the expectation that Smollett would appear in the back half of the 18-episode season.

“Jussie [Smollett] will NOT be returning to ‘Empire,’” said Daniels on Tuesday.

This is the first public acknowledgment that Smollett will not return for the final season of the Fox drama series. He was written out of the final episodes of the show’s fifth season following severe backlash stemming from accusations the actor and musician faked a hate crime against himself earlier this year in Chicago.

I’m curious to see where Smollett does find his next job, because I feel certain he’ll get one. We shall see!