Jussie Smollett Could Be Poised For An Epic Comeback

We may not have heard — or seen — the last of Jussie Smollett.

The actor, who was effectively blacklisted from Hollywood following an alleged hate crime hoax, may be returning to Empire’s final season after Brett Mahoney, the program’s showrunner, admitted it’d be “weird to end the series without seeing him.”

Mohoney told TVLine that discussions are underway to possibly have the actor make an appearance to conclude the series.

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“It would be weird in my mind to end this family show and this family drama of which he was such a significant part of without seeing him,” he said. “It’s fair to say it’s being discussed, but there’s no plan as of yet to bring him back. There’s been no decision made.”

The news of a potential return for Smollett comes in stark contrast to show creator Lee Daniels’ assertion in June that Jussie would never again appear on Empire. “Jussie will NOT be returning to Empire,” tweeted Daniels.

The 37-year-old actor was axed from the drama in season five after the fallout from his alleged hate crime incident during which Smollett claimed two men hurled racist and homophobic abuse at him. He would later be accused of and charged with making a false police report, however all charges were eventually dropped.