Lee Daniels Opens Up About His “Horrible” Experience Working on Empire

Lee Daniels, creator of the hit show Empire, has revealed that working on the series was a “horrible” experience, despite its massive success. The show, which ran for six seasons on Fox, was a fan favorite, but behind the scenes, Daniels faced issues with the network that made his time working on it difficult.

“I only did Empire to see what that experience would be like,” Daniels said in an interview with The Film Stage. The director of Precious and The Butler wanted to try working in TV after his success in movies, but it didn’t go as smoothly as he hoped.

“Horrible. Absolutely the worst experience. Horrible!” he said. “But guess what? F—ing that money, money, money! I was able to put my kids through college and s—.”

While Empire brought Daniels financial success, he struggled with the rules and control from the network. Having always made movies independently, Daniels wasn’t used to answering to executives. “When I got into television, I just wanted to know what it was like to deal with the higher-ups,” he explained. “There are many filmmakers and writers I respect who have to answer to people.”

Daniels’ frustrations grew during the filming of Empire, especially during the Harvey Weinstein scandal when new rules were being enforced. He was told not to use certain words on set, including the B-word and the N-word, and was even advised to avoid making eye contact for too long or touching people, which made him feel restricted in his work.

“It made me afraid to be myself on set,” Daniels shared. “You’re not going to play these games with me.”

Daniels had previously spoken about his negative experience with Empire in a 2019 interview with Vulture after the show was canceled. He admitted that the limits placed on his creativity left him feeling frustrated and “triggered.”

Despite the challenges with Empire, Daniels has continued to find success. His new movie, The Deliverance, became the most-watched film on Netflix during its Labor Day weekend debut.

The movie also reunited Daniels with actress Mo’Nique, following their past feud over the 2009 film Precious. The film stars Andra Day, Aunjanue Ellis, Glenn Close, and Mo’Nique, proving Daniels’ continued impact in the entertainment world.