Empire
EMPIRE Season 2 Opener Brings In 16 Million Viewers, It's Second Best Rating To Date!
Courtesy/FOX
The hit soap, Empire returned with a vengeance on Wednesday night. The Fox series was firing on all cylinders in its messages, it’s storylines and it’s performances (we loved former ATWT star Marisa Tomei guest star turn), and Jussie Smollett’s (Jamal) musical performances!
And the numbers were very strong for it’s second season opener. Empire scored 16 million total viewers and a 6.5 rating share, which is only slightly under their record-setting season one finale second hour! That episode gave Empire 17.6 million and a 6.9 share.
But even more notable is: Against it’s own series debut Empire was up 62 and 71 percent. That represents the largest Season 1/Season 2 leap in 10 years, since the record setting performance of House!
So, what did you think of last night’s second season premiere? What was your favorite part during the episode? Are you surprised that Empire is continuing to perform so strong? Share your thoughts below!
Empire
Jussie Smollett Releases New Rap Single ‘Thank You God’ Speaking On the Injustice of His Court Case
Now that former Empire star, Jussie Smollett (Ex-Jamal Lyon) is out of jail while appealing his conviction for the 2019 Chicago hate crime hoax, in which he was at the epicenter, the singer/actor wasted no time dropping a rap single.
On his Instagram account, Smollett posted a short clip of a new rap song, which speaks about his court case and the injustices brought down upon him by the system.
The track entitled,“Thank You God,” features Smollett rapping lyrics like: “You think I’m stupid enough to kill my reputation?” He also raps, that there will come a day when he can sit down and talk with his followers. He gives a mention to “D.L.” who many believe is CNN anchor, Don Lemon, who was originally one of Smollett’s main advocates.
Jussie served 10 days of jail time of his sentence of 150 days before being released . He also has 30 months of probation ahead of him and was ordered to pay $120,106 to the city of Chicago and a $25,000 fine for his actions.
Smollett says any funds raised for “Thank You God” will be donated to the Illinois Innocence Project, Rainbow Push, Secure The Bag Safety.
Check out Jussie’s Instagram post containing the rap below/
Now let us know, what do you think about Smollett releasing this track and still defending his innocence? Comment below.
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Breaking News
‘Empire’ Star, Jussie Smollett, Sentenced to 150 Days In Jail For Fake Hate Crime Attack
Late Thursday, former Empire actor and singer, Jussie Smollett, was sentenced in Chicago more than three months after being found guilty on five felony counts to the alleged 2019 hate crime hoax that made national headlines, and got the actor fired from the former Fox primetime drama series.
In the sentencing, Smollett was sentenced to 150 days starting immediately. In addition, he received 30 months’ probation, and has to pay the city of Chicago $120,106 in restitution, plus Jussie received an additional $25,000 fine.
Cook County Judge James Linn, who levied the sentence, came down hard in his words on Smollett due his actions noting he was, “selfish, arrogant and narcissistic.” The judge added, “You wanted to make yourself more famous throwing a national pity party for yourself. You’re just a charlatan, pretending to be the victim of a hate crime.”
Linn went in on Smollett for his ‘performance’ and ‘pure perjury’ when the actor took to the witness stand in his own defense last year.
At the end of his sentencing, Smollett pulled down his mask to speak. He then let everyone in the courtroom know that he feels he is innocent, adding, “Your honor, I respect you and I respect the jury, but I did not do this. And I am not suicidal. And if anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself. And you must all know that.”
Just before he was taken into custody, Smollett yelled again that he was innocent and raised a fist in the air as he exited.
Watch the sentencing of Jussie Smollett below, then weigh-in. Did Smollett get enough of a sentence for his crime? Share your thoughts via the comment section.
Empire
Ex-‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett Found Guilty On Five Counts For Hate Crime Hoax
Jussie Smollett (Ex-Jamal Lyon) from Fox’s former primetime soap opera, Empire, was found guilty on Thursday on five of six felony counts of disorderly conduct stemming from making a false report to the Chicago police department that he was the victim of a hate crime.
The actor’s account of the story dates back to 2019 and finally made its way to the Chicago court system for trial.
In the end, a jury of six men and six women deliberated for more than nine hours Wednesday and today to return the verdict after sitting through testimonies of 13 witnesses.
According to reports, Smollett did not look at his family or the judge during the reading of the verdicts on the six counts he was charged instead he looked at the jury members.
Smollett could face up to 3 years in a prison and a $25,000 fine, Judge James Linn will have discretion in imposing a concurrent or consecutive sentence for each count. That will happen at a later date.
Special prosecutor Dan Webb said at a post-verdict news conference: “Mr. Smollett would not have lost this case as he did today unless the jury found that he lied to them. The fact that he came up with a completely ridiculous story to explain his misconduct did not apparently have an impact on the jury’s verdict.”
During the trial brothers, Bola and Ola Osundairo testified that Smollett had paid them to stage the hate crime attack on him in an attempt to get media attention. The brothers testified that they fake punched Smollett, poured bleach on him, put a noose around his neck and used racist and homophobic slurs, because Jussie told them to do so in return for the money.
According to Smollett’s defense team, they will appeal the verdict.
So, what do you think about the guilty verdict for Jussie Smollett? Comment below.
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Billy Miller, Three-time Daytime Emmy Winner, and GH, Y&R and AMC Alum, Dead at 43
Billy Miller Remembered by His GH and Y&R Co-Stars As They Share Grief on His Passing
Billy Miller’s Mother Issues Statement On His Passing
Charles Shaughnessy Makes a Return to Days of our Lives
Y&R’s Jason Thompson Pays Tribute to Billy Miller: “For as Long as the Opportunity is Mine, I Will Forever Dedicate Myself to the History You Built for Billy Abbott”
The Young and the Restless Pays Tribute to Billy Miller at Conclusion of Episode
Charles Shaughnessy Makes a Return to Days of our Lives
Billy Miller Remembered by His GH and Y&R Co-Stars As They Share Grief on His Passing
Drew Barrymore’s Apology Video Backfires as Hollywood Voices Displeasure on Her Decision to Restart Production of Talk Show During Strikes
Adam Huss Wraps Latest Run as General Hospital’s Nikolas Cassadine
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Breaking NewsSeptember 16, 2023Billy Miller, Three-time Daytime Emmy Winner, and GH, Y&R and AMC Alum, Dead at 43
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General HospitalSeptember 15, 2023Adam Huss Wraps Latest Run as General Hospital’s Nikolas Cassadine
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Breaking NewsSeptember 17, 2023Billy Miller Remembered by His GH and Y&R Co-Stars As They Share Grief on His Passing
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Breaking NewsSeptember 18, 2023Billy Miller’s Mother Issues Statement On His Passing
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Days Of Our LivesSeptember 18, 2023Charles Shaughnessy Makes a Return to Days of our Lives
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General HospitalSeptember 14, 2023Rena Sofer Returning to General Hospital as Lois Cerullo
The magic continues, which is what I was worried about! But the show is as incredible as it was last season! Thank God FOX is not screwing this one up!
Empire is totally out of the box great !
It has everything a great soap is made of; fashion, love, hate, romance, suffering, backstory, intrigue, betrayal, family, tragedy, triumph, revenge, brother against brother, POWER .. and the list goes on ..
Yes I agree with you Scott, I was worried too, but the magic is still there. I love Empire so much, I love Cookie, she is hilarious and a wonderful actress too. The ratings are hitting the roof.
I was a huge fan last season but thought the opener was horrible. Marisa Tomei was playing a cartoon. Why is Anika even still involved with this family? Jamal’s complete personality transplant was unbelievable. Hakeem already has become tiresome. Not enough music. Chris Rock was horribly miscast. I did like the actress playing Cookie’s sister. She, at least, seemed real. Sorry to be a downer. I had waited all summer for the return, and this really let me down. Thank God for “Nashville” afterward, which was in good form.
1. The entire show is a cartoon. It’s a melodrama. It’s a soap opera. All of them are playing archetypes. I thought Marisa Tomei was divine and fit right in.
2. Hakeem has always been tiresome.
3. Chris Rock was indeed horribly miscast.
4. Anika is involved with the company, not the family, except for Hakeem who she is sleeping with, presumeably to piss off Lucious.
5.
DAYUMMMM!
COOKIE AND LUCIOUS ALWAYS DELIVERS. I ALWAYS ENJOY THEM; THEY ARE THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SHOW. CAN’T WAIT TO NEXT WEEK.
I thought it was mediocre but as usual Cookie had some of the best lines on television. My personal favorite: “You can’t even dyke right!”.