Various media reports including by BBC, CNN and Defense Maven state that the future of actor Jussie Smollett on the show, Empire is unclear. This as the actor did not feature in the show's last two episodes of season 5.
A joint statement released by Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV said: "By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire.
What this means is that the show's production is open to having him as part of the cast for season 6, although there are no plans to do so. CNN reports that Smollett's spokesperson said he is grateful for the support he has so far received from the crew and is appreciative of the production's openness to having him back on the show.
Smollett plays the role of Jamal, who is a musician, a brother of two and son of hip-hop moguls Locious and Cookie Lyon. The actor stands accused of staging an attack on himself in January and then claiming it was homophobic and racially motivated.
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