Lee Daniels reflects on ‘Empire’ as his worst experience, calls it ‘horrible’

Lee Daniels described working on Empire as a "horrible" experience but acknowledged its financial rewards and success.

Director and producer Lee Daniels has shared his thoughts on his time working on the hit TV series Empire, describing it as "horrible" but acknowledging the financial benefits it brought him. Speaking to The Film Stage while promoting his new Netflix film The Deliverance, Daniels stated, "I only did Empire just so I could see what that experience was like," adding that the show was “absolutely the worst experience” he had in Hollywood. However, he credited the show’s success for allowing him to put his kids through college, saying, "F---ing that money, money, money!"

Empire, which ran for six seasons on Fox, became one of the most successful shows on broadcast television, earning Daniels significant recognition. Despite this, Daniels expressed dissatisfaction with working within the constraints of a network, contrasting it with his preference for independent filmmaking. "I wanted to know what that experience was like… because every film of mine had been independent," Daniels said.

He also shared previous frustrations to Vulture with the “suits” who ran Empire, recalling an encounter with Fox’s human resources department that left him feeling restricted in his creative process. Reflecting on that time, he said, "It led to a bigger conversation of me being afraid to be me on the set",

Despite these challenges, Daniels continues to work in mainstream projects, including his latest collaboration with Netflix.