During a recent conversation with HuffPost Live, Washington Post’s Entertainment Reporter Cecilia Kang spoke with the publication about Fox’s Hip Hop-themed show, Empire.
While discussing the show’s more rabble-rousing moments, Kang pointed to an early scene where the character of Jamal shared a same-sex kiss with his boyfriend, Michael. She subsequently recalled a discussion that she’d had with Empire’s co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong regarding the scene.
“One character that’s quite interesting right now is Jamal and the storyline about homophobia in the African-American community which I think has been discussed quite a bit,” Kang said. “It shows also a lot of daring by the show’s creators.
“I spoke to Danny Strong one of the creators along with Lee Daniels, and Danny had told me that actually the very first scene when Jamal was kissing his partner, the test audiences that they showed this to — the ratings plummeted,” she added. “They did not like that scene at all. Danny was asked later what should we do about it and he said, ‘Absolutely nothing at all. Why should we take this off just because people are uncomfortable? We wanna push buttons with this show, we wanna deal with real issues.’”
Cecilia Kang’s conversation with HuffPost Live can be viewed below:
For additional Empire coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
The director basically came out and said hes trying to make it homosexuality more acceptable in the black community with this sick devilish show.
Yep, it’s this kind of bullshit going on all the time. It’s how they always need black comedians to dress up like a woman. I even see this bullshit in books that I read where they drop this angle in on the black characters. It’s nonsense, and it doesn’t make you homophobic if you point that out. I don’t see any shows with predominantly white casts that just drop homosexuality in the middle of the show when it has nothing to do with the plot. If you want to do some gay black character, do a whole show based on that so the people who want to watch that, watch it.
He said that he was shinning a spotlight on homophobia in the black community. Thankfully he’s done it in a more entertaining and intelligent way than the homophobic and ignorant comments that are on this page.
The show is wack first off.
HOWEVER, the damn thing is on FOX… Home of extreme republican Bible thumping conservatives. What did they expect?
bible thumpers are usually against homosexuality no? so i definitely would expect this..
That’s what I am getting at. It’s obvious that extreme right wingers are going to tune out to homosexuality.
I mean really, to each his own, but I stopped watching this show when they introduced the homosexual angle. I knew they would play it up big time. And it has nothing to do with homophobia either before somebody tries to play that card. I’m not afraid of gay folks. I don’t want to see two men kissing just like I don’t want to see a woman screwing a dog.
im not a homophobe either, i fuck with omar on the wire (nohomo) and OZ still one of the best shows ever in my opinion but this show is supa dupa gay
“Prick James :
I mean really, to each his own, but I stopped watching this show when they introduced the homosexual angle. I knew they would play it up big time. And it has nothing to do with homophobia either before somebody tries to play that card. I’m not afraid of gay folks. I don’t want to see two men kissing just like I don’t want to see a woman screwing a dog.”
Do you think that seeing two men kiss will turn you gay? It’s a legitimate question. Since you are equating humans to dogs, I just want to get an idea of your mindset, since that comparison makes no sense.
no more slaves. as long as you get a white bf to fuck you ass like white men been fucking your women and always will
Whew lord, the ignorance runs rampant through the comments. Like what you like, dislike what you want- but be educated when you do. I can respect Prick James and Shrek’s opinions on the actual show. But since when have Bible Thumping conservatives been supportive of putting homosexuality on their network? Secondly, Fox and Fox News are two entirely different entities. Fox News has a political agenda, Fox (much like any other broadcasting network is about getting money and advertisers). Fox will put a disabled horse licking a man’s ass on tv if it meant getting viewers (which they literally have done in Family Guy). And Lee Daniels did not say he was trying to make it acceptable to be homosexual in the community, but that he’d blow the lid off of homophobia in the community… ie. Exposing it’s ugly truth, something that all of your comments have alluded to. Y’all are talking about the homosexual males on the show, but there was literally no controversy over Tiana and her girlfriend India kissing last week. So don’t sit here and act like there’s a problem with homosexuals on the show- there’s an issue with them being gay males on the show. And yes, that is homophobic.
“but there was literally no controversy over Tiana and her girlfriend India kissing last week”. Maybe because everyone stopped watching after the two dudes gayed off
You’re the only one ignorant here. Stop posing as if you know more than anyone else.
I never even implied Bible thumpers supported it, you’re too dumb to pick that up? I was saying it’s a Bible thumping conservative channel, which it is, so of course Bible thumping conservatives will get torn up over homosexuals in their show. Fox and Fox News are seperate? That’s the dumbest shit I have ever heard. Fox News is pushing Century Fox’s agenda. Where do you think they got the agenda? Why do you think these massive corporations want news stations that turn little profit?
I think the show is dumb as fuck, but I have gay friends. I am an ally to the LBGT community. Sit up here and act like you’re smarter than anyone else here…
“but there was literally no controversy over Tiana and her girlfriend India kissing last week. So don’t sit here and act like there’s a problem with homosexuals on the show- there’s an issue with them being gay males on the show. And yes, that is homophobic.”
Sorry, don’t even know what you’re talking about. So I guess you’re right, I am ignorant. Ignorant of things that happened last week in a show that I stopped watching after the first episode. Again, I’m not homophobic, to each his/her own.
We need to get over this. I was once among those who couldn’t process LGBTQ as a normal human quality. I got older and realized that all forms of equality are connected to each other. You can’t have equality for blacks and not for others. We are at the bottom of totem so we have to lift everyone up together. We can’t show up to black marches and be ignorant about the plight of feminism and Muslims. We all need each other for solidarity and strength in numbers.
Fuck you pheasant, go pick my cotton
this show got the same number of viewers as judge judy and wheel of fortune.
Notice how white people always arbitrarily throw some gay nonsense in the mix with black shows. Even on the soap operas, the black people were the first gay characters. GTFOH with that shit.
Silent_Partner: Not true….I have been watching Days of our Lives for 40 yrs…the first (and still on) gay couple are two white guys….The black people on it now & before never were gay.
Do you know that this show was created by a black guy who came out and said he was trying to change the way the black community looked at homosexuals… dont blame the white people for this BS
Ballsy to put the gay angle into this show. And it needs to be done. Black people and gay people have been through the same crap. No reason black people should hate gay people, especially their own. Heard a comedian once ask why anyone would choose to be gay, because they’re not getting beaten up enough? It’s not a choice, no more than being straight is.
About Fox News, the people that run Fox News are no more religious or socially conservative than Democrats. But their news is in it for the money – money they make by targeting conservative viewers and by pumping up the rich at the expense of the poor. So they don’t care what goes on at Fox Entertainment as long as it raises them money, and talking gays and Jesus and abortion is their way to that cash.
wtf Black people and gay people have been through the same crap.
you can’t be serious
I say this respectfully…………Nigga please
“but there was literally no controversy over Tiana and her girlfriend India kissing last week”. Maybe because everyone stopped watching after the two dudes gayed off”
Nope, check out the ratings, people didn’t stop watching. Empire is the first show in over 23 years to gain viewers over its first five six episodes. That’s unheard of. Most shows lose up to 20% or more of their audience after the first episode. People like the show, if you don’t, that’s fine. Obviously based on the fact that Empire is the highest rated drama of the season, your presence won’t be missed.
It’s sad that anyone, but especially those who are also oppressed by mainstream society, would so easily oppress others, and act like gay people are subhuman.
“Empire is the highest rated drama of the season,”… its really not though, I pulled up Neilson and it was rated like number 9 behind shows like NCIS, Big Bang Theory, Blacklist and Blue Bloods
Fempire
LMAO THATS SOME REAL SHIT
i am sure 50 cent is smiling where he at hahaha. POWER IS THE SERIES TO WATCH.
These days every fucking show gotta touch on racism, sexism & homosexuality fuck sake
why is it I don’t hear anything about the girls kissing so I assume this is not gay just like the guys kissing , to me gay is gay women or men and gay has no color from what I have seen
if you a grown man and you watch this show you need to see a doctor