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‘Empire’ will end after season six with ‘no plans’ to bring back Jussie Smollett

Fox CEO promises final episodes will be ‘a large TV event’

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Toby Onwumere and Jussie Smollett on ‘Empire.’ (Screenshot via YouTube)

“Empire” will return for a sixth season but it will be the final season for the Fox series.

“We are turning the final season into a large TV event,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier told EW. “We are trying to go out guns a-blazing. One of the great benefits of announcing the final season is that it actually allows fans to lean in and have the ending they deserve. Six years is a remarkable run.”

The final season will have 20 episodes.

Collier said there is still an option to bring Jamal Lyon (Jussie Smollett) back on the show but “there are no plans at this point.” Jamal was written out of the final two episodes of season five in the wake of Smollett’s legal troubles with Chicago Police.

Jamal’s last appearance on the show featured his wedding to Kai (Toby Onwumere). This was the first wedding between two black men on primetime television. Jamal’s absence from the last episodes was explained as being away on his honeymoon.

“Empire” follows music mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) and his three sons Andre (Trai Byers), Jamal and Hakeem (Bryshere Y. Gray) and their mother Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) who is released from prison after serving a 17-year sentence.

It was once a top-rated show praised for adding diversity to Fox. Collier promised that diversity is still a priority at Fox.

“Fox is the number one network in the ethnic demos,” he says. “We appreciate the diversity of Fox. It’s an issue that’s so important and ongoing. It’s an effort for us to make sure we are the best in class. If you look across our slate, scripted and unscripted and in every corner, we really are doing a good job but the job never stops.”

Fox has also canceled “Star,” a spin-off show from “Empire” starring Queen Latifah, after three seasons.

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Photos

PHOTOS: Baltimore Pride Parade

Thousands attend city’s 50th annual LGBTQ celebration

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Baltimore Pride Parade (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

The 2025 Baltimore Pride Parade was held on Saturday, June 14. 

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

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Books

Celebrate Pride month by reading these books

History, pop culture, and more

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(Photo courtesy of Terri Schlichenmeyer)

You’ve done your share of marching.

You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.

You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.

Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.

You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.

Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.

If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.

Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.

Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.

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Music & Concerts

Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall

Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony

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The Indigo Girls are back in the area next week. (Photo courtesy of Vanguard Records)

Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall. 

The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.

Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts. 

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