Lee Daniels Talks Terrence Howard Domestic Violence: 'Empire' Creator On Actor's Legal Drama

Lee Daniels talked with The Hollywood Reporter on Terrence Howard's personal issues, with the Empire creator opening up on the actor's recent legal drama. The director behind the popular Fox series finally addressed a lot of the domestic violence allegations against Howard, which follows a bizarre interview the actor gave with Rolling Stone this past week.

Daniels seems to be standing right by the actor, who is also a close friend of his, as his personal issues come to the forefront.

"[Terrence] ain't done nothing different than Marlon Brando or Sean Penn, and all of a sudden he’s some f*ckin' demon,” shares Daniels. Fox TV Group chairman, Dana Walden, also spoke out on his personal issues, where she revealed, "Taraji and Terrence are the leads of this show, they are at the center of Empire, and we would never look to displace Terrence from that position.”

This past week, Howard became the center of headlines, after he admitted to putting his hands on his former wife, Michelle Ghent, during their marriage. He also opened up about his rough childhood and upbringing, where he confessed to watching his father stab a man to death at 2 years old, making national news.

The actor, his family, and his dad were standing in line to see Santa at a local mall, when a man cut them in line, causing his father to react violently. He was then sent away to prison for 11 months, but still maintained a close relationship with Howard in the years following.

His most recent ex-wife, Mira Pak, who still makes appearances with Howard, even admitted that the actor is quite “selfish” but she is understanding of that coming from his tough upbringing and the environment that was around him.

You can catch Howard playing Luscious Lyon on Season 2 of Empire next Wednesday on Fox.