PR Disaster: 'Empire' Ratings Are at an All-Time Low
“Empire” strikes back? Not exactly. Whether it strikes out remains to be seen.
Less than a week after actor Jussie Smollett was cleared of all charges related to his apparent hate-crime hoax, TV ratings for the Fox show “Empire” have reportedly dipped to an all-time low (3.97 million viewers) for the series.
Perhaps it’s coincidental the show’s ratings tumbled — at least by “Empire” standards — after the program’s Twitter accounts ostensibly celebrated the controversial decision of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office to drop all 16 counts against Smollett.
One “Empire” account asserted support of Smollett and expressed gratitude in the form of a March 26 tweet.
— Empire (@EmpireFOX) March 26, 2019
Empire Writers, meanwhile, tweeted a winking emoji and “see y’all Wednesday” in reference to when the show was scheduled to air.
? see y’all Wednesday. #empire #empirefox pic.twitter.com/jQUtsHcQBF
— Empire Writers (@EmpireWriters) March 26, 2019
Such social media posts received no shortage of negative responses, including at least one seemingly prescient reply.
Many fans of “Empire” evidently felt strongly enough about Smollett’s alleged hate crime hoax that they vowed to stop watching.
This is not about white/black privilege let’s just sum it up as money privileged and who your connections are. So unfair to actual victims of hate crimes no matter the type. Boycott #Empire
— Joyce Cooper (@uniqueshopper55) March 26, 2019
“Empire” producers said that Smollett’s character, Jamal Lyon, would be written off the series’ final two episodes this season.
Smollett has maintained that he’s innocent of manufacturing a hate crime and has expressed a desire to return to performing before TV cameras.
If the show’s latest ratings are indicative of what’s to come for “Empire,” however, television producers and directors may have second thoughts about welcoming Smollett back to the industry.
Wednesday’s viewership wasn’t the first time the once-popular FOX show had shown signs of slowing down, as its ratings noticeably dipped in October 2017, according to Variety.
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