Crime

‘Empire’ suffers second lowest ratings of show’s history

DEFENDER NEWS NETWORK — “Empire” returned from its winter break on Wednesday. It was also the first episode that aired since co-star Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct, and the show took a significant hit in ratings.According to Deadline, the hip-hop drama garnered 4.4 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

Published

6 years ago

March 24, 2019

Oakland Post

By Defender News Service

“Empire” returned from its winter break on Wednesday. It was also the first episode that aired since co-star Jussie Smollett was charged with felony disorderly conduct, and the show took a significant hit in ratings.

According to Deadline, the hip-hop drama garnered 4.4 million viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

To put those Nielsen numbers into perspective, the last “Empire” episode that aired on Dec. 5 had 5.0 million viewers and a 1.5 rating. And when the show came back from its hiatus last year, it had 6.2 million viewers and a 2.0 rating.

Other reports indicate that Thursday, March 14 dismal numbers represent the second lowest views in the show’s history. The first lowest was an episode that aired on Oct. 31, 2018, because many were presumably out trick or treating for Halloween.

The show that follows “Empire,” “Star,” also took a hit, though not much and was down a tenth from its previous episode.

As for Smollett, he appeared in court on Thursday and pled not guilty to the 16-count indictment that was handed down to him earlier this month.

But before the actor was charged, he was considered a victim after he said two white men attacked him in Chicago while he was on his way to a Subway restaurant. Smollett said the men yelled homophobic and racist slurs at him and placed a noose around his neck.

Later, however, Chicago police said two Nigerian brothers, who were extras on “Empire,” were hired by Smollett, who organized and staged the attack. There was also video footage that showed the brothers buying the items that Smollett said was used on him.

Last month, “Empire” producers released a statement about the actor, who plays the character Jamal Lyon, and said he’d be removed from the final two episodes of the current season.

“The events of the past few weeks have been incredibly emotional for all of us,” a statement read. “Jussie has been an important member of our ‘Empire’ family for the past five years and we care about him deeply.”

“While these allegations are very disturbing, we are placing our trust in the legal system as the process plays out. We are also aware of the effects of this process on the cast and crew members who work on our show and to avoid further disruption on set, we have decided to remove the role of Jamal from the final two episodes of the season.”

Smollett is due back in court next month.

This article originally appeared in Defender News Network.

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Oakland Post: Week of June 4 – 10, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 4-10, 2025

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2 days ago

June 7, 2025

Oakland Post

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 week ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.