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Don’t expect to see Jussie Smollett in the series finale of Empire.

Fox entertainment president Michael Thorn says the 37-year-old actor will not be a part of the May finale of the show’s six-season run.

“We’re not going to bring Jussie back to the show,” Michael told TVLine.

“There were a number of factors that went into the decision to not bring him back,” he continued. “There were many points of view about if he should come back or if he shouldn’t. As hard as a decision as that was, for us — and when I say us I mean the network, the studio and the producers — it felt like it was in the best interests of the show and the cast.”

“Our hope is that all of the controversy surrounding Jussie doesn’t overshadow the show,” Michael added, “which we think is bigger than him.”

Jussie was written out of the final episodes of season five after claiming he was attacked by two men who made racist and homophobic comments. Jussie Smollett was then accused of making up the attack and charged with fabricating a false police report.

READ MORE: Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss City of Chicago Lawsuit Against Jussie Smollett

The lawsuit against Jussie Smollett by the City of Chicago will not be dropped, according to a federal judge on Tuesday (October 22).

Judge Virginia M. Kendall rejected Jussie‘s contention that he should not be made to pay $130,000 in police overtime costs, plus $260,000 in damages, because “he could not have foreseen how seriously the police would take his hate crime report,” according to Variety.

The judge also blamed Jussie‘s legal team for their “attempts to muddy the waters with irrelevant arguments.”

Jussie claimed to police back in January that he was assaulted by two men who shouted racist and homophobic slurs. After an extensive investigation, the city concluded that he staged the attack. He was arrested and indicted on 16 counts of filing a false police report, but the charges were later dismissed. He maintains that he is innocent to this day.

The City of Chicago sued Jussie for the fees required for the investigation, which his legal team contested as attempting to improperly re-litigate the case.

“The natural, ordinary and reasonable consequence of a police report like this one — a racist, homophobic physical assault in which masked attackers invoked the President of the United States’ official campaign slogan — is an intensive, sprawling investigation like the one that took place. Smollett contends that police overtime pay is not ‘foreseeable in the normal course of events,’ but this is hardly the normal course of events — most crime victims, for instance, do not have the opportunity to discuss the crime on Good Morning America. The allegations were taken seriously by the Chicago Police Department in significant part due to the high profile of the claimant and the extreme nature of the accusations,” the judge wrote.

READ MORE: Jussie Smollett Reacts to Being Compared to Student Who Lied About Having Her Dreadlocks Cut by Bullies

Jussie Smollett is reacting to being compared to an ongoing news story.

After @theshaderoom posted an update about a Virginia teenager who claimed her white students cut her dreadlocks and then later admitted to making up the story, poet and philanthropist Derrick Jaxn commented: “Jussie really is a trendsetter,” referring to Jussie‘s ongoing legal battle with the city of Chicago over his alleged hate crime.

Jussie reacted with a comment: “With all due respect brother, y’all can clown me all you want but my story has actually never changed and I haven’t lied about a thing. Y’all can continue to be misinformed, internalized sheep, who believe what actual proven liars feed you or you can read the actual docs. Either way, Imma be alright. I know me and what happened. You don’t. So carry on. All love,” he wrote.

See the comment inside…

Terrence Howard is on good terms with Empire co-star Jussie Smollett after the controversy surrounding his alleged attack.

The 50-year-old actor recently explained that he still keeps in touch with Jussie and that the show has changed since he left.

“Yes we have [kept in touch]. Jussie played my son…I was so proud of my of that young man that played my son…and then out of nowhere he’s snatched away from us. He was the heart of the show. Now it’s like the show is on a heart and lung bypass machine because the heart of the show is gone,” Terrence said on The Late Late Show.

Terrence continued, “We’re still trying to put the pieces together because my son is gone and they don’t mention him as if it’s okay. It’s like, ‘No, that’s not cool.’”

Hear all that Terrence Howard had to say about Jussie Smollett below…

• Empire is shooting a scene nearly exactly where Jussie Smollett said he was attacked earlier this year – TMZ
• Who is performing on America’s Got Talent tonight? – Just Jared Jr
• Guess which couple is Instagram official – Lainey Gossip
• The trailer for Little Women is finally here! – DListed
• Anne Hathaway was told to lost weight at this young age – TooFab
• - Towleroad
• Here’s where you can expect to see Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello… – Just Jared Jr

• Jussie Smollett is pushing back against the appointment of a special prosecutor for his criminal case in Chicago. – TMZ
• Stephen Amell just shared something cool from the Arrow set! – Just Jared Jr
• What was your reaction to the Cats trailer? – Lainey Gossip
• Tom Holland has a girlfriend? – DListed
• Kendall Jenner is stripping down! – TooFab
• Sam Smith‘s latest is a dancing delight! – Towleroad
• This royal is making headlines for her stunning look! – Just Jared Jr

Taye Diggs is sticking up for his friend Jussie Smollett.

During an interview on Black Hollywood Live‘s “Inside The Black Actor’s Studio” podcast, the 48-year-old actor said that he wants the 37-year-old former Empire actor to be brought back to the hit Fox show.

“I have no idea what people are going through. And to be honest, it’s kinda none of my business,” Taye shared. “He is a good friend of mine. I love him. He’s, he’s only done right by me. So you know people go through things. It doesn’t change who he was and who he is to me. It doesn’t change, you know, the attention that we still need to pay to, you know, homophobic. Like, the people, people trip out, just because; whatever happened doesn’t mean that, that the issue that he stands for don’t still exist.”

Jussie was at the center of a major controversy earlier this year when he was allegedly attacked in a hate crime only to be arrested and charged for faking the crime before the case was eventually dropped.

Back in June, Empire showrunner Lee Daniels said that Jussie would not be returning for the upcoming final season of the show and that he is “beyond embarrassed” about the alleged hate crime hoax scandal.

“If I am being honest, the smart thing would be to bring him back and, and let it interweave it into the, into the show, you know?” Taye continued. “I feel like, people, I may get in trouble for saying this, but they’re so quick to just to leave, to leave these people. You know what I mean? So quick to, to fire them, so quick to kind of, you know, throw them away as opposed to, you know, taking their time and, maybe letting it, let it work toward, you know, the program or the job, or, you’d probably get to the bottom of it if he, if he stuck around.”

If you don’t remember, Taye made a guest appearance on in season three of Empire where he played Councilman Angelo DuBois for several episodes.

Taye concluded: “But I feel like people don’t, they don’t stand behind and support their actors as much as they should, you know? Fear. I think it’s fear.”