Will Jamal and Kai make it down the aisle? ET exclusively debuts a first look from Wednesday's hour.
Will Jamal make it down the aisle?
On Wednesday's episode of Empire, which marks Jussie Smollett's final appearance of the season, Jamal (Smollett) gears up for his big wedding day to fiance Kai (Toby Onwumere), but drama may ruin their nuptials when FBI Agent Meghan Conway (Alicia Coppola) continues to put pressure on the Lyon family.
In ET's exclusive sneak peek, Cookie's old friend/off-again fling, Damon (Wood Harris), crashes a Lyon family get-together and makes his unplanned visit... count.
"Apologies for the intrusion. I have something that belongs to you. My art broker found this," Damon says, before presenting the missing painting Lucious (Terrence Howard) has all but given up on. "Lucious and Cookie, they deserve this symbol of their enduring love."
While Jamal is stunned at the unexpected gesture of presumed kindness, Cookie is less than impressed. And Damon continues to ruffle feathers when he congratulates Jamal on his upcoming wedding, which will be broadcast the next day for the public to enjoy as well.
"I appreciate it, man. Thank you," Jamal happily replies, before making an impulsive wedding decision that will only compound the family drama surrounding the Lyons. "This is late notice, but what are you doing tomorrow? You should come to the wedding."
Lucious and Cookie immediately shoot down the idea of Damon being a wedding guest and they don't do a very good job of making their case to Jamal to take back his impromptu invite. How does it all play out? Watch the clip from Wednesday's episode below.
A source tells ET that the culmination of Jamal's storyline this season in Wednesday's episode was a creative priority for Smollett. "This was an episode that Jussie really championed with the writers and a storyline he is proud of," the source says.
Smollett was dropped from the final two episodes of season five after he was arrested in February for allegedly filing a false police report in which he claimed he was a victim of a hate crime. All charges against Smollett have since been dropped, though the city of Chicago is seeking reimbursement from the actor to cover over $130,000 in investigatory fees, which Smollett has refused to cover.
While it is unclear whether Smollett will retain his job on Empire should the Fox drama be renewed for a sixth season, his TV mom, Taraji P. Henson, seemed confident he'll be reinstated.
"I talk to Jussie all the time. He's doing well. We're all doing well. The show is doing well," she said during an April appearance on The View, sharing that right now, Smollett is still part of the Empire family: "Yes. I haven't heard anything else."
Empire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox.
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