‘Empire’ declines to fire Jussie Smollett but has ‘no plans’ to bring back Jamal

“Empire” viewers won’t be seeing Jussie Smollett when “Empire” returns for its sixth season, Fox said Tuesday.

“There are no plans for the character of Jamal to return,” the network and the show’s producer, 20th Century Fox TV, said in a joint statement. But that doesn’t mean Smollett is fired.

The statement also revealed: “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six.” Translation: Producers are securing, presumably with some payment, the right to put Smollett back on the show if plans change.

After a high-profile story line on last week’s episode — Jamal’s wedding with Kai — Smollett is not slated to appear on the remaining two episodes of the current season.