Is Jussie Smollett Returning For ‘Empire’s’ Final Season After All? Not So Fast

Are Jussie Smollett’s “Empire” days officially over for good? According to co-creator Lee Daniels, yes.

The producer shut down a report on Tuesday that “Empire” writers are “prepping” to welcome Smollett back for the upcoming final season’s second half.

“This is not factual,” Daniels tweeted, in response to a Variety article which cited multiple production sources as saying the show was still mulling the actor’s future.

“Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire,” he added.

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A source close to the situation told Access that “there is a conversation” about a Smollett return being explored “if possible,” but Daniels seems to have made his thoughts crystal clear.

Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox Television reportedly declined to comment.

Smollett was written out of the final two episodes of Season 5 amid the controversy surrounding his alleged hate crime hoax. Early this year, the 36-year-old claimed to have been attacked by two men in “MAGA” hats who shouted racist and homophobic slurs at him. Chicago police claim he staged the incident, but Smollett has continued to maintain his innocence.

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A grand jury indicted him on 16 counts of felony disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false police report, which the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office later dropped. The city of Chicago has since filed a civil lawsuit asking Smollett to cover $130,000 in alleged investigation costs, which he refused to pay.

Despite his ongoing legal saga, the singer has had the full support of his onscreen family.

In April, multiple “Empire” co-stars, including Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, penned a letter “as a united front” urging Disney and Fox to bring Smollett back for Season 6.

— Erin Biglow