Fans will not see Jamal Lyon in Empire Season 6 after co-creator Lee Daniels revealed his departure. In a recent tweet, the film writer revealed Jussie Smollett would not return to the series finale after news emerged that he would make a comeback.
Variety earlier reported the show's writers are working their way to bring Jamal back in the latter half of Empire Season 6. "This is not factual," Daniels responded to the report. "Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire."
Daniels even signed his tweet with his initials, "LD," to confirm it was directly from him. Smollett played the role of Lucious' (Terrence Howard) son and the musician Jamal since the show started in 2015.
@Variety @JoeOtterson This is not factual. Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire. -LD — lee daniels (@leedanielsent) June 4, 2019
However, Smollett's character was written out in the previous season finale after the controversial issue with the law. According to TVLine, the 36-year-old star claimed he was beaten by two men, wearing "MAGA" hats, who threw racist and homophobic slurs at him. It was later revealed the attack was only made up. Thus, he was charged with making a false police report.
Later, the charges made against him were dropped, but the controversy it caused cost him his job. When Fox ordered Empire Season 6, it extended Smollett's contract, but it has "no plans" to bring him back. The previous season ended with his marriage to Kai (Toby Onwumere), but his character was not yet permanently written off.
"By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season six," Fox Entertainment and 21st Century Fox TV said in a statement, via IndieWire. "But at this time, there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire."
Fox's decision to not let Smollett reprise his role in Empire Season 6 may spark another national political debate about the way his case is being handled. It may also cause an issue with the show's production environment as he plays a major role. There is said to be an ongoing division between the cast and crew regarding the actor's verdict - if he is guilty or not.
Fox cited potential damage to the on-set environment when it revealed Smollett's character would be written off from the previous season's last two episodes. "While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out," it said at the time. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of 'Jamal' from the final two episodes of the season."
Empire Season 6 will be the show's final bow. It is set to have 18 episodes to tie all the loose ends. Fox has yet to announce its official release date, but it is expected to be out later this year.
