Taraji P. Henson appeared on “The View” Thursday and gave a brief update on her “Empire” co-star Jussie Smollett, who had criminal charges against him dropped last month.
Smollett was accused of filing a false report after he alleged two men attacked him in an apparent hate crime late January in Chicago.
The actress shared with the ladies of the “The View” that she had been in contact with Jussie and he’s “doing well.”
“I talk to Jussie all the time. And he’s doing well,” she said via PEOPLE. “We’re all doing well. The show is doing well. We’re on hiatus right now. The writers are trying to figure out what the next season is going to look like, what our storyline is going to be. They’re trying to drum up some really good juicy stuff for you guys.”
Asked if Smollett was “definitely going to be on the show” next season, (which is currently in hiatus), Henson said yes.
“Yes. I haven’t heard anything else,” she said. “I haven’t heard anything.”
Smollett’s character was written out of the last two episodes of the current season.
“You have someone in your family who’s going through this, while at the same time, we’re shooting the final episodes of the season, which are also just heightened emotionally,” he said. “So it was a lot to deal with and a lot to go through, but we’re really just focused on finishing strong.”
Showrunner Brett Mahoney admitted in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that Jussie’s legal scandal was an “emotional roller coaster” for the cast and crew. He also said they haven’t made any decisions regarding Smollett’s future on the show.
“It’s too early to think about what we would have to do if we didn’t have Jussie,” he said. “We have such a strong ensemble and we have so many stories to tell for all of these fascinating characters that it’s bigger than one character, but it’s too early to think about the show without him.”
“Empire” airs Wednesdays (8 p.m. ET) on Fox.
