'Empire' Creators Confirm Early Finale Amid Coronavirus

Bad news for all those still engrossed in “Empire”…

Source: Fox / EMPIRE

Cookie and Lucious’ Lyons’ business will, unfortunately, remain unfinished.

“Empire” is officially over—for now. Execs at the Fox show have confirmed that next week’s 18th episode of Empire’s sixth season will be the show’s finale. A proper finale episode was not shot and can’t be currently shot amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The show’s co-creators and executive producers Lee Daniels and Danny Strong confirmed the news in separate statements.

“The success of Empire and bringing the Lyon family to broadcast television will always be one of the proudest achievements of my career, ” said Lee Daniels. “This show is the definition of breaking barriers. Thank you to our incredible cast, especially Terrence and Taraji, along with our amazing writers and tireless crew, for all of their hard work and bringing this story to life. I think there’s more to do with these characters, and I’m heartbroken we aren’t getting to shoot the finale we wanted—at least not yet. But you know what they say in television? Stay tuned! To the Empire!”

“We’re so proud of this show and of everything this incredible cast – led by Taraji and Terrence- and crew accomplished over six seasons,” said Danny Strong. “The episode airing on April 21 was never meant to be the series finale, but due to current events it will likely be the last one our fans will see for a while. We had an ending for the series planned that we all loved, and hopefully someday we’ll be able to film it and give the series its proper conclusion. But we hope everyone tunes in to our last original episode, because the work done by our cast and crew deserves to be seen by the widest audience possible. Big thank you to Fox for being our home for these many years. And here’s hoping this isn’t the end!”

Next week’s finale episode follows the Bossyfest launch and Cookie’s fight to regain control of Empire. Meanwhile, Lucious will struggle to cope with his feelings for Cookie, while continuing to support Yana (guest star Kiandra Richardson) and her rise to stardom.

The “Empire” finale airs April 21 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.