theprestige
Penultimate Amazing
Link for that:
Jussie Smollett Dropped From Remainder Of ‘Empire’s Season By Producers
They haven't said yet if he will return next season yet, but I wouldn't bet on it.
There's also this from the Daily Fail:
'Arguments erupt' on Empire set after Jussie Smollett's arrest as 'furious' cast members call for him to be FIRED and Gabby Sidibe deletes supportive Instagram post while others stand by him and insist he is innocent
So I guess they need to come up with new story lines now. The final season of House of Cards kinda sucked too IMO, but what can you do? I watched it anyway having already watched the first 5 but it just wasn't the same without Spacey. They had no choice of course, they had to fire him. But it shows how one actor's misbehavior off the set can ruin a whole show if he's a central character .
My guess is that they had to remove him from the production because of the disagreements between the rest of the cast. My guess is that if he had tried to mollify the cast members who think he's guilty, instead of doubling down on his innocence, those disagreements would have been manageable.
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Separately, I wonder if Smollett came up with this scheme on his own, or if there's an unnamed Svengali watching from the wings. Maybe a Fox executive somewhere, slamming his forehead on his desk, muttering over and over, "that isn't what I meant, you jackass!"
FOX EXECUTIVE: The only way you'll get a raise is if you become a bigger name.
JUSSIE SMOLLETT: Hold my molly and watch this.