Jussie Smollet’s character Jamal Lyon will not be returning for the final season of Empire but he will be mentioned on the show and it will be explained why he won’t be appearing on screen.
The last time viewers saw Jamal, he was jetting off to his honeymoon with his new husband Kai ( Toby Onwumere).
Producers of the Fox drama series revealed earlier this summer that despite the actor’s contract being extended for the sixth and final season, there are no plans for him to reprise his fan-favorite role after the alleged attack caused him to be written out of the last two episodes of Season 5 due to the scandal that followed.
Series showrunner Brett Mahoney teased in an interview with TVLine, “Jamal is taking a sabbatical from the family,” he said. “He doesn’t want to be caught up in Lyon family drama, which is very much in keeping with his point of view last season — that [the family business] should be something that the family moves away from.”
Co-creator Lee Daniels slammed that door shut, tweeting emphatically that “Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire.” And earlier this month, Fox CEO Charlie Collier confirmed that there are “no plans for Jussie to return to Empire.”
Empire — sans Smollett — returns for its sixth and final season on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 9/8c.
