If you are Fox Entertainment and you have a lying, felon hack like Jussie Smollett in one of your popular shows, what do you do? If Smollett returns for the next season of Empire, people will call for the boycott of Empire’s sponsors, costing Fox millions of dollars. So after writing out the arrogant, race hustling hoaxster, what is Fox going to do? They could recast the part of Jamal Lyon and get rid of Smollett that way. I mean, since $125,000 per episode isn’t enough for the hoaxster, why not find someone that would take half the money? Maybe even an illegal alien to do the jobs an “American wouldn’t do.”
| Smollett’s Empire role could be recast |
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Sometimes the actor gets tired of the role.
Sometimes the actor is not quite right for the role.
Sometimes the actor is hard to get along with.
Sometimes the actor writes a check to two black guys to beat him up so he can blame it on white Trump supporters knowing the national media will not ask any questions and run wild with it.
It seems to me, Fox could easily replace Smollett and should. It would be awkward to write the character out, especially if the studio decides there is no way to bring Jussie Smollett back in any capacity, even to wrap up his character’s story — have him die in a car accident or move to China, or something. On the other hand, the character of Jamal Lyon is central to the series and his abrupt departure could damage the series, so…
Better to find someone else to step into the role, another talented young man, but one who, you know, is not a lying, hate-crime hoaxer willing to start riots if it means a little attention.
Regardless of what happens to the character of Jamal Lyon, Jussie Smollett’s career is almost certainly over. He has already been cut out of the final two episodes of Empire and as the show enters its hiatus, Smollett is facing all kinds of legal jeopardy, including prison time for filing a false police report.
And let’s not forget the possibility of federal mail fraud charges over a piece of hate mail police say Smollett mailed to himself.
At this point, no one can see a way out for Smollett. Public relations experts, people who deal with the worst scandals imaginable, see no daylight.
“I’ve worked on really high-profile crisis issues. I don’t think anybody’s had to work on something like this,” PR expert Ronn Torossian told ABC News. “I think his career as we know it is over… This isn’t just a hoax. This is about a hoax that touches upon race, sex, and politics.”
“I would say that the mo