Entertainment

‘Empire’ Ratings Hit Lowest Number In Series History Following Jussie Smollett Court Drama

REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski

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Disgraced actor Jussie Smollett may want to move on, but “Empire” hasn’t been doing too well since the charges against the actor were dropped Tuesday.

“Empire’s” ratings hit an all-time low for the series with only 3.97 million viewers Wednesday night. Smollett told reporters that he just wants to get back to work, but it’s unclear if he’ll have any work after all this drama.

Fox has not announced if “Empire” will be renewed for a sixth season. (RELATED: ‘Empire’ Creator Opens Up About Jussie Smollett’s Alleged Hate Crime Hoax)

Fox did release a statement, however, after the charges were dropped. “Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed,” 20th Century Fox Television and Entertainment said.

The writers of “Empire” also seemed to show support for Smollett Tuesday. On their shared Twitter, the group posted a video of the news with a winking emoji and wrote, “See y’all Wednesday.”


As previously reported, the show’s creator, Lee Daniels, compared the past couple weeks leading up to the charges being dropped to a roller coaster.

“We, me and my cast, have experienced pain, and anger, and sadness and frustration, and we don’t really know how to handle it,” Daniels shared with his followers in a video posted March 21.