Portrayed by Jussie Smollett, Jamal is the middle son of hip-hop mogul Lucious (Terrence Howard) and his wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson).

Jamal, a talented R&B singer and songwriter, struggles to gain his father's approval, but is able to overcome this adversity with Cookie's support.

He initially expresses resentment towards fame and is hesitant to be in the limelight, but he gradually embraces it once Cookie begins to manage his career.

Gray) to determine who is more musically gifted, while maintaining a cold distance from his older brother Andre (Trai Byers) for his perpetual scheming.

[1] In 2019, Smollett was fired from Empire after staging a fake hate crime, and Jamal was written out off the series' final season, said to be in London.

Jamal grew up with his brothers, father, and mother; his parents were selling drugs in the Philadelphia ghetto they lived in to finance Lucious' music career.

As a child, he began to dress in women's clothing, which caused his father to throw him outside into a trash can in an effort to curb his homosexuality.

Jamal lives with his boyfriend Michael Sanchez (Rafael de la Fuente), a relationship of which his father strongly disapproves.

Shortly afterwards, Cookie tells Jamal that she has gotten back together with Lucious, but he warns her that nothing good can come from loving his father.

Jamal enters a new relationship with Ryan Morgan (Eka Darville), who is hired by Lucious to film a documentary on his life.

Reg pulls a gun on Cookie when she tries to protect him, but Lucious comes forward to admit that Lola is his daughter.

This causes further friction between the two, with Hakeem and Andre plotting to overthrow Jamal after Lucious is arrested for Bunkie's murder.

Jamal believes that Cookie is responsible and blames her, but finds the strength to perform at Empire's celebratory concert in honor of going public on the NYSE.

Because what he and Danny Strong have done by creating this show, is really, I felt like what they were doing is they weren't preaching, yet they were getting such important messages out there about acceptance, about sexuality, about mental disorders, but about family.

On February 26, 2014, it was announced that former child star and singer Jussie Smollett known for his appearance in the 1992 Disney film, The Mighty Ducks and the short lived ABC sitcom On Our Own had been cast in the role of Jamal Lyon, the middle son of hip-hop mogul Lucious (Terrence Howard) and his ex-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson).

Smollett sent the show's creator Lee Daniels a message on Instagram and said "I know you get this all the time, but I really feel that I'm Jamal Lyon."

Of the extensive casting process, Smollett said Daniels wanted to make sure that his portrayal of Jamal was "1000 percent truthful" and "organic and authentic and real".

"[16] Upon the announcement of Smollett's casting, the character of Jamal was described as "sensitive soul and musical prodigy that could easily rise to superstardom if he desires".

According to Jussie Smollett, Jamal "struggles with knowing how good he is but he isn't sure if he wants to pursue a full fledged career as a performer because of the "scrutiny and the judgement that comes with it".

"[21] Thanks to his own experience as a gay man, Daniels is able to construct the world of Empire around Jamal who is written as a "down-the-middle, well-mannered, even-keeled, guy-next-door type".

[23] According to Smollett, Jamal changes his mind about coming out in episode 102, "The Outspoken King" because "It just wasn't the right time for him, especially to do it in such a grand way – with the press conference and the performance.

He claimed that the gay community would have applauded the decision to depict a straight male character experimenting with a man, so there was nothing wrong with depicting a gay character experimenting with a woman[24] Smollet knew that there would be controversy, but accepted the challenge because it was a "conversation that I didn't mind having and I didn't mind opening up....We're still having that conversation, and in this second part of season two we do really tap in on the idea of sexual fluidity.

"[25] Lee Daniels stated that he and Jussie Smollett are both gay men, but occasionally sleep with women, and that the plot development was an attempt to spark discussion about sexual fluidity:Jussie and I both share the same feeling that, yes, even though we are gay, we’re sexual human beings...And we do occasionally want to sleep with a woman.

[26]Though Jamal initially shies away from being a superstar, Cookie's release provides the support he needs for him to "come out of his shell" when she becomes his "momager".

"[19] In the pilot, the series introduces Jamal living with his boyfriend Michael Sanchez (Rafael de la Fuente).

[18] The character of Olivia (Raven-Symoné) was introduced in the episode "Out, Damned Spot," and is revealed to be the gay Jamal's ex-wife.

[23] At the same time, Jamal immediately bonds with Olivia's daughter Lola (Leah Jeffries) whom he is initially led to believe is his own child.

When the family is confronted by Olivia's abusive boyfriend Reg, "It's Jamal's moment where he has fallen in love with this child so quickly."

Kennedy said featuring Jamal "who isn't a stereotype or comic relief is bold enough in its own right" but because the show is set in Hip Hop, it feels "like a game changer".

A young black man powered by R&B and hip–hop who is unashamed of who he is and in a loving, same-sex relationship isn't a revolutionary idea in the real world.