"Empire" pushed the boundaries in its record-breaking first season on Fox, but one storyline has caused so much furor for some viewers that they sent death threats to co-creator Lee Daniels and star Jussie Smollet.
Daniels and Danny Strong created the hip hop drama that stars Terrance Howard as Lucious Lyon, the label head of Empire Records, who strong opposes his son Jamal Lyon's (Smollet) homosexuality. The depiction of a gay African-American man in the hip hop genre has caused a hateful reaction for some watching the show.
"Homophobia is real. It exists," Daniels said during the 7th annual Produced By L.A. conference on Sunday, according to Variety. "Jussie and I both get death threats."
Despite the intense negative reaction from a few viewers, the creative team will not stop exploring the storyline or any other social issues that could cause controversy.
"We will continue to do our thing until homophobia is done," Daniels said.
Taraji P. Henson, who plays Lucios' ex-wife Cookie, spoke on the subject earlier this year and had hoped the storyline would help "save a lot of young lives."
"It's a difficult thing and I'm glad we're bringing a light to this in a way that's going to make people uncomfortable," Henson told The Wrap in January. "That's the only way you're going to get people to think about it, is if you show people the harshness of the reality."
"Empire" will return for a second season on Sept. 23 on Fox.
