Empire Season 5 has been intense and engaging as it builds to the reveal of who was in the coffin from the premiere’s flash-forward, but the story was overshadowed for a while due to the scandal surrounding actor Jussie Smollett, whose claim that he was attacked on the streets of Chicago resulted in an investigation into Smollett and his subsequent arrest under the felony criminal charge of disorderly conduct.
Though the charges have since been dropped, Smollett had already been cut from the final two episodes of the season.