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EMPIRE Renewed For Sixth Season; Jussie Smollett Future With Show Uncertain, But ‘No Plans” For Jamal To Return

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: FOX

Some major questions concerning the future of Fox’s sudsy, Empire have been answered, while the future of one of its main stars Jussie Smollett (Jamal) remains in question.

While the series got its season six pick-up, but there was another interesting development which was offered up in a statement by Fox Entertainment and 20th Century Fox that read: “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for Season 6, but at this time there are no plans for the character of Jamal to return to Empire.”

According to reps for Smollett, they have been told: “Jussie will not be on Empire in the beginning of the season but he appreciates they have extended his contract to keep Jamal’s future open.  Most importantly he is grateful to Fox and Empire leadership, cast, crew and fans for their unwavering support.”

In Empire‘s official renewal statement from Fox Entertainment president Michael Thorn today it said. “Empire continues to break barriers with its emotionally powerful storytelling, and it remains a core part of the Fox legacy. “We want to thank everyone on the show – Taraji, Terrence and the entire cast, as well as Lee, Danny, Brett, Sanaa, Brian, Francie, Dennis and their teams – all of whom have done a tremendous job this season.  We know there are so many more stories to tell, and we can’t wait to see what they have in store for Season 6.”

When Jamal was last seen on Empire, he had tied-the-know.  Whether his departure will be for a number of episodes or permanent looks up in the air.

Smollett made national news when he told the police that two men jumped him around 2 a.m. on January. 29yh  on a Chicago street, yelling racist and homophobic slurs, and put a rope around his next and threw a substance in his face. After an investigation, Smollett was charged with filing a fake police report with the Chicago PD and later had all charges dropped against him, even though the evidence indicated he was guilty of setting the whole thing up.

So, what do you think of Empire getting renewed for a sixth season?  What should they do in regards to the character of Jamal and if Jussie Smollett should ever return?

 

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Jussie Smollett (Jamal) Will not return.
And that is not right, all charges were dismissed.

Anyways-
Lucious has a new son, Jeff Kingsley..
So Jamal is not needed.

Looks like Andre will die..
If not its a medical not on the market/impossible.

Empire will be quite different without Andre and Jamal
(Hakeem and Kingsley won’t cut it..
The Lyons Family won’t recover …
Jamal is the singer the talent star..

Can Lucious & Cookie handle losing two sons at once? Hakeem can’t carry the show. And I don’t see Kingsley as much of a replacement. Don’t know when they start filming the fall season, but I would imagine Team Empire is going crazy right now trying to dream up some new characters to keep the storylines going. And they can’t all be Lucious’s lost kids, for Hell’s sake! (although if Cookie was in prison for 17 years, Hell only knows how many baby mamas he might have hooked up with)

I want Jussie back!

Wendy Williams said it best on her talk show… “Just go away” !

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Robert Kelker-Kelly, ‘General Hospital,’ ‘Days of our Lives’ and ‘Another World’ Star Dies at 62

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Robert Kelker-Kelly

Robert Kelker-Kelly, who became prominent as a one of the leading men in soap operas back in the late 80s and 90s has died at the age of 62. TMZ first reported the news of Robert’s passing on Saturday, October 3 at his home in St. Peters, Missouri.

According to the St. Peters police report, officers responded to call at around 8:16 pm about an unconscious man who was not breathing, as paramedics and other EMS were en route, Kelker-Kelly had reportedly complained of chest pain shortly before becoming unresponsive and the circumstances appeared consistent with a medical event.

Officers and paramedics administered life-saving measures, but were unsuccessful in reviving Kelker-Kelly. The cause of his death is still unknown and under investigation.

Robert Kelker-Kelly

Photo: NBC

Daytime fans first saw Robert back in 1987 when he was cast as Sam Fowler on Another World. He played the role for three year suntil 1990. Two years later, he took over the role of Bo Brady on Days of our Lives replacing Peter Reckell, who at that time decided to leave the show.

As Bo, Kelker-Kelly was major in story playing opposite the likes of: Crystal Chappell as Dr. Carly Manning, Kristian Alfonso as Hope Williams and Lisa Rinna as Billie Reed. When Peter Reckell returned to his signature role in 1995, Kelker-Kelly left the show.

Next, Robert returned to his original stomping grounds at Another World but this time as race car driver, Bobby Reno who was actually Dr. Shane Roberts. His second AW stint lasted from 1996-1998.

Robert Kelker-Kelly, GH

Photo: ABC

Eventually, the actor would begin his run as the evil Stavros Cassadine on General Hospital in 2001, then make returns in 2002 and 2003. In 2013, he briefly returned as Stavros as part of the show’s 50th anniversary celebration, and made one last appearance in 2014.

Robert has also became a professional pilot full from 2003 to 2015 and had been married to former Days of our Lives star, Miriam Parrish (ex-Jamie Caldwell) from 1997-2011, but the couple divorced in 2011. Since that time, he has not remarried.

Recently, Robert was back in the news when Lisa Rinna talked about her time working with her former Days of our Lives co-star in her recently released memoir, You Better Believe I’m Gonna Talk About It.

Rinna shared on her then on-screen love interest, “Behind the scenes, we hated each other. Remember when Kathy Hilton said I was the biggest bully in Hollywood? Not true. Not even close! I have legit stories about the real bullies in this town. Robert Kelker-Kelly is one of those bullies.”

The former Billie Reed and reality star even punctuated that with, “He made my life a living hell on the set of DAYS, He was horrible to me, I’d go so far as to say verbally abusive. He was passive-aggressive, manipulative and played weird mind games.”

Michael Fairman TV will provide further updates as they become available on the death of Robert Kelker-Kelly.

Now, share your remembrances and condolences on the loss of Robert Kelker-Kelly via the comment section below and let us know of all his daytime roles, which was your favorite.

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Hayden Panettiere’s Cause of Death Revealed

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Hayden Panettiere

On Tuesday, September 22, the Greenville, South Carolina Coroner’s office ruled that actress Hayden Panettiere’s death was an accident, attributing the 36-year-old’s passing to be a combination of toxic effects from fentanyl and other drugs that were in her system.

Panettiere was found unresponsive on Sunday, August 16. There have been numerous reports and sources speaking to various outlets about the manner in which the Nashville and Guiding Light alum died, but nothing was certain until now.

The Greenville County Coroner’s office shared that fentanyl, combined with 4-ANPP, Alprazolam (also known as Xanax), Methocarbamol (a muscle relaxant) and Quetiapine (used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia but is sometimes prescribed to treat depression), were all found in Hayden’s system.

Hayden Panettiere Guiding Light

Photo: CBS

GUIDING LIGHT ALUM’S DEATH IS STILL UNDER AN ONGOING INVESTIGATION

Meanwhile, the Greenville Police Department shared there is still an ongoing investigation into this case. “Our detectives will continue to follow leads and gather information as we work toward resolving this case,” the department shared.

That is, because despite Panettiere’s death being ruled accidental, authorities continue investigating whether anyone might be criminally responsible for providing the star with a lethal substance. It is being shared that this is  “cross-country investigation” stretching from as far as South Carolina to California.

As we previously reported, TMZ shared on September 14 that law enforcement officials believe Hayden’s “long time drug dealer” may have been the person responsible for supplying her with an oxycodone pill laced with fentanyl which she took the morning of her death.

Panettiere “had been temporarily staying” at the apartment in Greenville, the coroner’s office said in August. Authorities did not say whose apartment it was but it was said to later be an Airbnb. It was Hayden’s on-again off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, and his brother Zach who called 911 the afternoon of August 16 to say Panettiere was unresponsive, according to police reports.

Hayden Panettiere, Charles Esten, Nashville

Photo: ABC

HAYDEN PANETTIERE IMPRESSED IN EVERY ROLE SHE PLAYED

Soap opera fans still remember Hayden’s as a very young Sarah Roberts on One Life to Live from 1994 until 1997, and then her signature daytime role as Lizzie Spaulding on Guiding Light from 1996-2000.

She later went on to star on the Music City primetime soap opera, Nashville from 2012-2018 on ABC and CMT where she played country and western singer, Juliette Barnes opposite General Hospital alum, Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky Spencer), who played her love interest, Avery Barclay.

Over this past weekend, Jackson, Charles Esten (pictured above), Connie Britton, and others from the cast of Nashville gathered for a memorial service in Hayden’s honor to pay their respects for their beloved co-star.

So, what do you think about the ruling in the death of actress Hayden Panettiere that it was an accident involving toxic effects of fentanyl combined with other drugs and medications she was taking at the time? Share your reactions via the comment section below.

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Soap Alums Remembered During In Memoriam Segment at 78th Emmy Awards; Patrick Muldoon Omitted

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In Memoriam Emmys 2026

During last night’s 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony, as it does every year, the television academy paid tribute to those in the industry that they’ve lost over the last year; since the previous Emmys held each year in September.

Starting with an emotional tribute to the late Catherine O’Hara by three of her co-stars, Schitt’s Creek’s Annie Murphy and Dan Levy and Home Alone’s Macaulay Culkin, the segment then dovetailed into Noah Kahan performing “Bridge over Troubled Water” as the faces and the names of those being remembered were shown on the screen.

Daytime soap alums, who either stayed in the genre for the majority of their career, or went on to primetime success as well, were honored including: Anthony Geary (Luke, GH), Hayden Panettiere (Sarah, OLTL, Lizzie, GL, Juliette, Nashville), James Van Der Beek, (Dawson, Dawson’s Creek, and Stephen, ATWT), Gil Gerard (Alan, The Doctors), June Lockhart (Mariah, GH), Patricia Crowley (Mary, Port Charles and GH), Randolph Mantooth (Clay/Alex, Loving and The City, and Richard, GH) and Jon Cypher (Alex, ATWT and Arthur, Santa Barbara).

Photo: TVAcademy

THOSE HONORED AND THOSE WHO WERE NOT

However, in a glaring omission, the producers of the In Memoriam failed to include Days of our Lives beloved star, Patrick Muldoon who played the OG Austin Reed and also Richard Hart on Melrose Place. Muldoon passed away in April of this year at 57.

After Kahan concluded his performance, a special tribute to Rob Reiner began with Jamie Lee Curtis taking to the stage to share some warm words about her late friend.

In a ironic and sad twist, Curtis shared ,“Last week, Robbie won an Emmy for guest actor in a comedy series for his beautiful work on The Bear, and he now holds the record of 48 years for the longest gap between acting Emmys, which was previously held by his father Carl Reiner, at 37 years.”

Reiner, who along with his wife, Michele Reiner were killed by their son, Nick Reiner, is currently awaiting a decision if he will stand trial. Prosecutors on Tuesday, shared they will not seek the death penalty if he is convicted at trial, but instead life in prison. Curtis said of Rob, “He was generous and kind and funny as hell, and a friend to all. We all miss Rob and Michele and all those we lost this year.” The Emmys then faded to black and went to commercial break.

So, were you happy to see those who you know from their work in soap operas included in the 2026 In Memoriam tribute at the Primetime Emmys? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first, in case you missed it, you can watch it below.

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