:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(319x0:321x2)/people_social_image-60e0c8af9eb14624a5b55f2c29dbe25b.png)
Play all audios:
Jussie Smollett isn’t letting the news that his character will not return to _Empire_ keep him down. The actor was spotted out and about in Los Angeles over the weekend. Smollett was seen
leaving a restaurant after grabbing breakfast with a friend. Smollett was dressed casually for the outing, wearing a pair of black pants and a matching jacket. The actor had his headphones
in as he walked outside. Last week, Fox announced that the musical drama, which premiered in 2015, has been renewed for a sixth season. The network also announced that it has “no plans” for
Jussie Smollett‘s character, Jamal Lyon, to return. The news comes three months after Smollett alleged he was the victim of a hate crime (and police accused him of staging the attack
himself). In a statement obtained by PEOPLE, Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox TV said, “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for
season six, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to _Empire._“ Following the news, a rep for Smollett told _The Hollywood Reporter_, “We’ve been told
Jussie will not be on _Empire_ in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open. Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and
_Empire_ leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support.” Smollett, 36, told police he’d been physically attacked on the street in his downtown Chicago neighborhood around 2
a.m. on Jan. 29 by two black-clad, masked men who used racist and homophobic slurs, doused him with an “unknown chemical substance” and left him with a rope around his neck.