*Amid speculation around the fate of Jussie Smollett’s character in the wake of the actor’s legal drama, this week’s “Empire” episode suggested that another major character could also be departing.
As noted by TV Line, midway through Wednesday’s episode, Jamal’s (Smollett) older brother Andre — played by Trai Byers — revealed he has terminal cancer.
“I have cancer — advanced lymphoma stage 4,” he solemnly informed girlfriend Teri. “I’m dying.. [I have] a few months at best.”
Andre fans immediately hit up social media to express their sadness over this plot twist, which came a day after news broke that prosecutors dropped all charges against Smollett.
OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED: Prosecutor Kim Foxx Says Jussie Received Same Deal as a Non-Celebrity + Trump Weighs in [WATCH]
Big things are coming for Cookie. See what’s in store for her: https://t.co/vctkpYjx2G #Empire pic.twitter.com/T80Er5kic5
— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 28, 2019
Smollett claimed he was attacked by two men yelling racial and homophobic slurs; he was subsequently charged with 16 felony counts after a Chicago police investigation determined he staged his own hate crime and falsified reports about the attack.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called Jussie’s latest legal victory “a whitewash of justice.”
“I’d like to remind everybody that a grand jury indicted this individual based on only a piece of the evidence that the police had collected in that period of time,” Emanuel told reporters on Tuesday.
Smollett, meanwhile, remains the subject of a federal probe related to an alleged threatening letter that was mailed to the “Empire” set prior to the January attack.
According to Deadline, the network may make his current two-episode suspension permanent. In the meantime, 20th Century Fox Television said it stands by the actor.
“Jussie Smollett has always maintained his innocence,” read the statement, issued by 20th Century Fox Television and Fox Entertainment, “and we are gratified on his behalf that all charges against him have been dismissed.”
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