Taraji P. Henson says Jussie Smollett is "doing well", after criminal charges against him were dropped last month.

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson

The 'Empire' star had been facing 16 counts of disorderly conduct following allegations he staged a racist and homophobic attack on himself in January, but after the charges were dropped in March, his co-star Taraji says she's in constant contact with him, and says he's bouncing back.

She said: "I talk to Jussie all the time. And he's doing well. We're all doing well. The show is doing well. We're on hiatus right now. The writers are trying to figure out what the next season is going to look like, what our storyline is going to be. They're trying to drum up some really good juicy stuff for you guys."

And when asked if Jussie will be returning to 'Empire', Taraji insisted he will be resuming his role as musician Jamal Lyon.

She added during an appearance on 'The View': "Yes. I haven't heard anything else. I haven't heard anything."

Meanwhile, Taraji recently said she was delighted to see the charges against Jussie dropped, as she now believes the "truth has finally been set free".

She said: "I'm happy that the truth has finally been set free, because I knew it all along. We're all happy for him, and thank God the truth prevailed."

The 'What Men Want' star insisted she would have always stood by her on-screen son.

She added: "I'm not going to jump on clickbait just because someone says something derogatory about a person I know and love. I'm not easily swayed like that. Those little clickbait (reports) weren't enough to deter me from his immaculate track record. I know the type of activism this young man does in his community, I know that he's a giver - he's not an attention-seeker.

"When I know someone, there's nothing you can say to make me flip on them, and that's what we miss in this world. We need people that stand by us. Whatever happened to that? Why are we so easy to believe strangers over people we know?"


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