Jussie Smollett will not return for Empire's finale

Jussie Smollett will not be back on 'Empire when the six-part series comes to a close in May.

The 37-year-old actor was accused of having orchestrated a racist attack on himself back in January, and although he had the case against him dropped in March, he filed a petition for malicious prosecution, claiming officials created the narrative and it has cost him hugely.

As a result, Fox's Entertainment President, Michael Thorn, confirmed there were "no plans" for him to return to the show, with his last appearance in June.

"We're not going to bring Jussie back to the show," he told TVLine, adding that there were "many factors" to the "hard decision", but ultimately they didn't want the "controversy surrounding Jussie to overshadow the show".