'Empire' Season 2 Cast Update: Will Mariah Carey Guest On Series Or Not?

Mariah Carey, along with Oprah Winfrey, was previously rumored to be joining the cast of "Empire" season 2. However, the series already aired 10 episodes but the much-anticipated guest appearance still has not happened.

Now "Empire" season 2 cast updates reveal that Mariah Carey is not coming to the show.

Co-creator and executive producer Danny Strong said as much during a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

"None of those people are going to actually be on the show so I can't control what names all of a sudden take off as being guest stars because they're not," he said.

News of Mariah Carey's guest appearance in the hit Fox musical drama first surfaced during the break between the pilot and second season.

Co-creator Lee Daniels even told THR in March last year to "watch her on Empire, you guys. She's coming on Empire."

"Empire" season 2 star Jussie Smollett, who plays Lucius Lyon's gay son Jamal, also teased cast updates back in October when he confirmed that the "Don't Forget About Us" hitmaker is indeed going to be making an appearance.

"That rumor is true," he told Entertainment Weekly. "That makes me feel so good to say that rumor is true."

Mariah Carey may not be joining the show but fans can take consolation in the news that "Empire" will return for a third season as announced on Friday's Television Critics Association presentation.

Fans can also expect a more exciting second half of "Empire" season 2, particularly on the showdown between Lucius and Jamal who are both nominated for Song of the Year award.

For some families, a double nomination would viewed as some kind of an accomplishment. Lucius, meanwhile, feels completely different.

He sees his own son as an opponent he needs to take down to get to the top again after losing his company, Empire Entertainment.

"We all know that one single award doesn't mean everything," showrunner Ilene Chaiken told TV Line.

"But it certainly symbolizes to Lucious and Jamal the whole story of their relationship - the story of children surpassing their parents, of being the child of a famous and hugely successful artist."

Watch out for more "Empire" season 2 cast updates as the series returns to Fox in March 2016.