Empire is officially moving forward at Fox, but it’ll do so without Jussie Smollett.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox announced on Tuesday (April 30) that it has officially renewed Empire for a sixth season.

In their announcement, 20th Century Fox TV also addressed the fate of actor Jussie Smollett, who made headlines earlier this year for being the target of an alleged hate crime in Chicago.

Smollett was later charged with lying to the police over the alleged attack, though those charges have since been dropped.

The series notably wrote his character out of the final two episodes of season 5, but many had been wondering if Smollett would in fact return to the series despite the outcome of what happened in Chicago.

In their statement, Fox revealed that while Smollett is still technically under contract, there are currently no plans to feature his character on the series’ upcoming sixth season.

“By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six, but as of this time there are no plans for the character to return to Empire,” said 20th Century Fox TV.

In addition, a representative for Smollett also released a statement on the matter. Interestingly, their statement focuses less on the fact the studio has no plans to continue with Jamal’s story, and more on the possibility that he could still pop up later on down the line.

“We’ve 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,” said the representative in a statement. “Most importantly, he is grateful to Fox and Empire leadership, cast, crew, and fans for their unwavering support.”

Despite all the negative press, Smollett’s fellow cast members seem to be all for having the actor return.

Just last week, actors Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Trai Byers, Gabourey Sidibe, and Nicole Ari Parker sent a letter to the studio, network executives, and producers requesting Smollett be brought back for season 6.

Though many understandably feel as though Smollett shouldn’t return given what happened in Chicago, it’s clear that if Fox should decide to bring him back in the future, he’ll be welcomed back to Empire with open arms by his fellow cast members.

Empire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on Fox.