Jussie Smollett Breaks Silence On Lee Daniels' Viral Comments On Their Relationship

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Red carpet for BET Honors
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Saturday, March 5 at the Warner Theater, (l-r) Empire creator, executive producer and honoree Lee Daniels, and one of the stars of Empire Jussie Smollett, on the red carpet for BET Honors. (Photo by Cheriss May/NurPhoto) (Photo by NurPhoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Jussie Smollett says he'll always be grateful for the "Empire" creator.

Jussie Smollett addressed Lee Daniels' recent comments on their relationship, in which the Empire creator labeled it, "complicated," during an appearance on The Breakfast Club. Speaking with TMZ in New York City on Friday in honor of the release of his new film, The Lost Holliday, Smollett explained that he is always going to be on good terms with Daniels despite their disagreements.

"I talk to Lee often. It's something that-- I love Lee very much, but here's the thing, I don't talk about it. Lee is somebody that I love," Smollett said. "He gave me an opportunity that I'll always be grateful for, but at the same time, it's a relationship that's really important to me, so I don't feel the need to mediate that in the public." He added: "Lee is also a little bit more of an open book, so he'll say things, but I love him so much. And, he knows that. We're always gonna be good."

Read More: Jussie Smollett Kicked Off Of "Empire" According To Lee Daniels

Jussie Smollett Speaks During Lee Daniels' Hollywood Walk Of Fame Ceremony

HOLLYWOOD, CA - DECEMBER 02: Lee Daniels and Jussie Smollett attend the ceremony honoring Lee Daniels with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 2, 2016, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Araya Doheny/WireImage)

The drama surrounds Daniels' comments about Smollett's infamous staging of a hate crime against himself in Chicago in 2019. “That whole situation was complicated,” Daniels said, last month. “I still don’t know what to believe. Honestly, I don’t know what to believe. People say he didn’t do it, he did do it. God bless him on his journey.” Despite that remark, he also said that he'd still be willing to work with Smollett again. “I’d cast him in something,” he clarified. “He was a son to me. And he also represented me. And he also represented the movement that I tried to start, which I didn’t know I was starting. I was so busy, worried about Cookie’s hat and the music that we were playing [on Empire], this was before Insecure, this was before Black Panther. We started it. I was so worried about getting everything right that I didn’t know what was happening in the zeitgeist.”

Jussie Smollett Discusses Lee Daniels

Check out Smollet's full comments on his relationship with Daniels below. The Lost Holliday is in theaters now. Be on the lookout for further updates on Jussie Smollett and Lee Daniels on HotNewHipHop.

Read More: Lee Daniels Is "Beyond Embarrassed" For Immediately Supporting Jussie Smollett

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About The Author
Cole Blake
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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