Taye Diggs believes that Jussie Smollett deserves to return to Empire for its upcoming sixth season. Fox's series about the underhanded dealings of a music mogul and his family became a breakout hit for the network. Smollett portrayed the middle son of the family, Jamal, who tries to stay out of the family's conflicts. Diggs had a recurring role as Councilman Angelo DuBois.
In late January, Smollett claimed to have been assaulted outside of a restaurant in Chicago by two Donald Trump supporters because of his race and sexual orientation. Doubt was quickly cast on Smollett's story, leading to his own arrest and a charge of filing a false police report. Despite pressure from the Chicago police department and the city's mayor, all charges against Smollett were ultimately dropped. The decision to drop the charges led to a perceived lack of justice in the eyes of many, and he's remained a polarizing figure ever since. The entire controversy led to Smollett's firing from Empire. Fox, in an attempt to distance itself and the show from the outrage surrounding Smollett, has repeatedly stated that the actor won't be returning for the show's sixth season.
Speaking with Danny Royce on an episode of Black Hollywood Live's "Inside the Black Actors Studio", Diggs was quick to defend his co-star without necessarily defending his actions. Diggs was on the program to discuss a number of subjects, including his role on Empire and his relationship with its stars. When the conversation turned toward his feelings on Smollett, Diggs was very clear that Smollett was and still is his friend. After finding out that Smollett was fired from Empire, Diggs told Royce that he's "still dying to work with [Smollett] again" and would take that opportunity "in a second." In regard to whether or not Fox should reverse its decision and let Smollett return to Empire, Diggs had this to say:
I still have an issue with, with people mixing, you know, uh, actors and poli--, their personal lives with, you know, their work lives, um, you know, I feel like you know, if I am being honest the smart thing would be to bring him back and, and let it interweave it into the, into the show, you know? I feel like, people, I may get in trouble for saying this, but they're so quick to just, uh, to leave, to leave these people. You know what I mean? So quick to, to fire them, so quick to kind of, you know, throw them away as oppose to, you know, taking their time and, you know, maybe letting it, let it, let it work towards, you know, the program or the job, or, or, or, you know, you'd, you’d probably get to the bottom of it if he, if he stuck around.
Diggs is only the latest actor to come to Smollett's defense. Smollett's onscreen father, Terrence Howard, spoke out in February in support of Smollett's moral character. Even so, Smollett isn't expected to make any appearances during Empire's final season when it premieres this Fall. Given how Diggs' character's storyline ended on Empire, the two probably wouldn't have had any scenes together either way.
Fox, at this point, is unlikely to include Smollett in Empire's final season in any way. His five-year-run on the show made him a fan favorite, but his real life actions made him a point of mockery. Besides facing public backlash, he's still the subject of a number of lawsuits and investigations linked to his allegedly false charges. All those factors are more than enough for Fox to stick with its decision. While Diggs would be willing to work with him again, Smollett's days as Jamal Lyon are probably in the past. Whether or not that hurts Empire's final season remains to be seen.
Empire season 6 premieres September 24 on Fox.
Source: Black Hollywood Live