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‘Empire’ Star Says Jussie Smollett Won’t Be Fired Over Staged Hate Crime Hoax

© AP Photo / Richard ShotwellJussie Smollett attends Carpool Karaoke: The Series launch event at the Chateau Marmont Hotel on Monday, Aug. 7, 2017, in Los Angeles.
Jussie Smollett attends Carpool Karaoke: The Series launch event at the Chateau Marmont Hotel on Monday, Aug. 7, 2017, in Los Angeles. - Sputnik International
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‘Empire’ actress Taraji P. Henson said that her co-star Jussie Smollett will return to the Fox Entertainment program next season despite accusations of staging an assault on himself.

Henson told ABC’s The View that she keeps in contact with Smollett yet mainly about the storylines for the next season of ‘Empire’. When asked whether Jussie is still going to be on the show, Henson replied with “Yes! I haven’t heard anything else. Yeah, I haven’t heard anything.”

Last month, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office dropped all 16 charges against Smollett, who the Chicago Police Department says staged a racist and anti-gay assault on January 29th. The actor was accused of filing a false police report about the hate crime. Smollett told the police that he was attacked by two masked men who he said doused him with a chemical substance and placed a thin rope around his neck. He also said that the attackers were shouting “This is MAGA country!” before fleeing.

READ MORE: Prosecutors Drop Charges Against Jussie Smollett Accused of Hate Crime Hoax

However, Chicago police said after interviewing two brothers identified as persons of interest in the case that Smollett paid the duo $3,500 to orchestrate the attack.

Empire actor Jussie Smollett leaves Cook County jail following his release, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019, in Chicago. Smollett was charged with disorderly conduct and filling a false police report when he said he was attacked in downtown Chicago by two men who hurled racist and anti-gay slurs and looped a rope around his neck, a police official said - Sputnik International
Police Say Jussie Smollett Staged Attack Because He Was Unhappy with Salary
Meanwhile, Chicago's police union has demanded the resignation of Cook County State's Attorney Kimberly Foxx after all charges were dropped against Smollett, NBC reported. The city's Fraternal Order of Police and the suburban police chiefs’ associations announced a "no confidence" vote against Foxx during a joint press conference Thursday afternoon. The Fraternal Order of Police has also requested a federal investigation into Foxx’s role in the decision to not prosecute Smollett.

The City of Chicago is also reportedly preparing a lawsuit against the actor,  demanding $130,000 for the cost of investigating the false police report.

“Mr. Smollett has refused to reimburse the City of Chicago for the cost of police overtime spent investigating his false police report on January 29, 2019. The Law Department is now drafting a civil complaint that will be filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County. Once it is filed, the Law Department will send a courtesy copy of the complaint to Mr. Smollett's L.A. based legal team,” a spokesman for the City said, cited by TMZ.

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