Just last week Fox announced that they will be launching into the sixth season of Empire but Jussie Smollett's character reappearing on the show is still up in the air. "By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett's option for season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire," Fox said in a statement.
The network is seemingly keeping Jussie close by for the off chance they change their mind on having him return full-time. According to new reports from TMZ, the actor's co-stars are rallying together to get him back, saying he deserves a full return. The publication details how stars such as Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard made calls to the network pushing to have Jussie back on set immediately.
Those on Jussie's side feel his character is very important to the show and don't believe his return will affect the ratings. The final episode of season five had Jussie's character, Jamal, portray the first gay, black wedding on primetime TV.
Queen Latifah recently spoke of Jussie publicly for the second time, detailing how it's always love when it comes to the actor.
"No, I don't normally talk to Jussie. It's not like we talk to each other all the time. We run into each other and we see each other and it's always love. He's always been a good guy in my opinion," she said. "It's just always love. To me, he's just apart of Empire. I can't even imagine that show really without him."