Jussie Smollett sacked from the final season of Empire

Jussie Smollett will not be returning for the final season of “Empire”. Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier confirmed the news at the TCAs on Wednesday.

“As much as anything in cases like this, and they’re all so unique, you try gather all the information,” he said, according to TV Line. “You try to make a good decision at the time. Series creator Lee [Daniels] is right. There’s no plans for Jussie to return to ‘Empire’.”

The actor was also written out of the final episode of the show’s fifth season this past spring after he was charged with staging a hoax hate crime attack against himself in Chicago.

Smollett’s contract was extended when “Empire” was renewed for a sixth and final season in May, but the network said at the time there were “no plans” to have him back.