Exactly. Look at what happened to medallion and sport suit wearing Al Sharpton after Tawana Brawley.
ITEM---suggests Empire's failing ratings were going to improve b/c of the "attack" on Jussie.
ITEM--Smollett told police he staged the hoax to increase his salary.
CONCLUSION: could mean collusion among the Empire PTB and Smollett.
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REFERENCE----Empire: Season Five Ratings Published: December 13, 2018
SOURCE: https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/empire-fox-tv-show-season-five-ratings/
Empire TV show on FOX: season 5 ratings (cancel or renew for season 6?)From the beginning, the Empire TV show has been a big hit in the ratings for the FOX network. The numbers have been dropping for quite a while though and now, the series is looking less and less successful. Could former viewers return to watch Empire in season five? Will the show be cancelled or, will it be renewed for season six? Stay tuned.
A hip-hop music drama series airing on FOX, Empire stars Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Bryshere Y. Gray, Jussie Smollett, Trai Byers, Gabourey Sidibe, Ta’Rhonda Jones, Serayah, Andre Royo, Rhyon Nicole Brown, and Nicole Ari Parker. The series revolves around the Empire Entertainment company, founder Lucious Lyon (Howard), his three sons (Gray, Smollett, and Byers), and their mother, Cookie (Henson). The Lyons lost the company in season four and season five finds the clan still trying to reclaim Empire two years later.
The ratings are typically the best indication of a show’s likelihood of staying on the air. The higher the ratings (particularly in the 18-49 demo), the better the chances for survival. This chart will be updated as new ratings data becomes available — typically around 11:30am EST/8:30am PST. Refresh to see the latest. 12/13/18 update at link to see the latest night’s ratings in context.