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‘Empire’ Co-Creator Lee Daniels Says the Show Was ‘Absolutely the Worst Experience. Horrible!’ But ‘That Money, Money, Money. I Put My Kids Through College and S—‘

Lee Daniels co-created "Empire" and says it was "absolutely the worst experience."

The show, headlined by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, was a cultural phenomenon thanks to its outlandish characters (Cookie, for starters), massive ratings and hit original songs. Daniels noted that “every film of mine had been independent” prior to his pivot to television with “Empire,” so he was interested in learning what it would be like working for a major studio. Henson won a Golden Globe and earned her Emmy nominations for her work on “Empire.” Daniels got over 100 episodes made of the show, which is available to stream on platforms such as Hulu and Tubi.

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