Terrence Howard's Role On 'Empire' Cut Back In Season 2 Over Personal Life

Fans of Empire may be seeing less of Lucious Lyon, as Terrence Howard's role has reportedly been cut back in season 2 due to issues in his personal life. The 46-year-old award-winning actor has been dealing with issues from his divorce to ex-wife Michelle Ghent going public, which is taking a toll on his role on the hit Fox series. Along with photos of his ex-wife following an alleged case of domestic violence with Howard, details of their drug-infused sexual escapades have also surfaced. He’s even been dealing with an under-the-radar divorce with his third wife, Mira Pak.

In light of the divorce drama and domestic violence allegations, Lucious Lyon’s on-screen time could be cut from Empire’s upcoming season, which premieres next month. A source discussed the possible plans for the show next season with Page Six. “What they are doing is two-fold. They have him locked up so you won’t be seeing him in as many scenes. But they are bringing in so many, and I mean so many, guest stars and cameos that the average viewer won’t realize it because there is so much going on,” the source revealed.

Being that Terrence Howard may have to be seen less on the show, this will give Taraji P. Henson’s character, Cookie Lyon, much more screen time. “She’s going to start dropping off from the flashback scenes and then they’re going to have her guns blazing,” the source continued to explain.
This second season of Empire has signed on tons of big names to appear, including the likes of Mariah Carey, Pitbull, Chris Rock, Ludacris, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz and Marisa Tomei. The news of Howard getting less screen time has not been confirmed by Fox or the show’s creator, Lee Daniels, but we hope we will soon be able to find out if the reports and rumors are true.