Contributed by Nia Seaton
Empire star Taraji P. Henson says costar Jussie Smollett will return to their show on Fox even in the midst of the actor being sued by the city of Chicago.
Curiosity grew when the situation about Smollett, who was accused by the Chicago police department of faking a hate crime before his charges were dropped. Fans were interested in knowing if Smollett was returning to the show.
Henson confirms that he will be returning to the musical drama , which is wrapping up its fifth season, but has yet to be renewed for a sixth. Henson plays Cookie Lyon and Smollett plays her son, Jamal.
In defense of Smollett, Henson has been very vocal. She has remained loyal and stood Smollett during the incident.
“I talk to Jussie all the time and he’s doing well. We’re all doing well. The show is doing well. We’re on hiatus right now,” Henson said on The View. “The writers are trying to figure out what the next season is going to look like. What our story line is going to be,” she said. “They’re trying to drum up some really good juicy stuff for you guys.”
Chicago prosecutors abruptly dropped 16 felony counts that accused Smollett of making a false police report about being the target of a racist, anti-gay attack in January. City officials have ordered Jussie Smollett to pay $130,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into his report of a street attack that Chicago police say was staged to promote his career.
