Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television have confirmed that Empire has been renewed for another season, but have also said they have no plans of bring Smollett’s character back for season 6.
“Empire continues to break barriers with its emotionally powerful storytelling, and it remains a core part of the Fox legacy,” Michael Thorn, Fox Entertainment’s president of entertainment, said. “We want to thank everyone on the show—Taraji, Terrence, and the entire cast, as well as Lee, Danny, Brett, Sanaa, Brian, Francie, Dennis and their teams—all of whom have done a tremendous job this season. We know there are so many more stories to tell, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for Season Six.” the studio said in a statement.
“By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire,” Fox Entertainment and 20th Century The statement added.
A statement by the City said: “Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019,” a spokesperson for the City said, per TMZ. “The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Once it is filed, the Law Department will send a courtesy copy of the complaint to Mr. Smollett’s L.A. based legal team.”