CreatorLee Danielsconfirmed in June thatJussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyon, willnot be returningfor theseries’ last seasonafter the 37-year-old wasindicted with 16 counts of disorderly conductforallegedly filing a false reportclaimingtwo men attacked himin an apparent hate crime in Chicago in January.
“We miss Jussie,”EmpirestarTaraji P. Hensonsaid on thePeople and Entertainment Weekly Red Carpet Live: 2019Emmy Awardspre-show on Sunday. “He’s family to us. There’s no way we can throw five years of family away. I miss him.”
John Shearer/Getty
Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Henson, 49, plays Jamal’s mom Cookie Lyon. “Certainly Cookie misses him,” the actress continued. “He was her favorite. That was her first family member she visited when she got out of jail.”
Smollett had pleaded not guilty to allegations that he lied to police when he said he was attacked in what authorities later claimed was a staged incident to draw attention to himself. At the end of March, all charges against Smollett were suddenlydropped.
DespiteSmollett’s absence, Henson promised thatseason six ofEmpire“is going to be so incredible.”
“Cookie is finding herself,” Henson said. “It’s not about the empire any more. It’s not about Lucious anymore, it’s not about her kids. It’s about her. I think a lot of women will identify with that.”
RELATED VIDEO: Jussie Smollett’s Siblings Reveal He ‘Has a Lot in the Works’ 6 Months After Hate Crime Scandal
And of course, the Oscar nominee will miss playing the Lyon matriarch.
“I will miss what she meant for so many people. She was the one who fought off all the bullies,” Henson said. “I guess that’s kind of me in life. I take up for people who can’t speak for themselves.”
Empirereturns to Fox on Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET.
The 71st PrimetimeEmmy Awardsare airing live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles starting at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.”
source: people.com
