If you don't remember Empire, you should. When it comes to network TV, it was one of the smash hits of the 2010s.
The show's main draw and undeniable star was thee Taraji P. Henson, who played Cookie Lyon and is currently gaining plenty of praise for her performance in the record-breaking film adaptation of The Color Purple musical.
During a recent Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists conversation moderated by Variety's Angelique Jackson, Taraji got real about how, despite the show's massive success, her career eventually hit a wall, to the point where she had to fire her entire team.
“Everybody had to fucking go," she said after stating that her best business decision to date was "firing everybody after" Empire's run.
"Where is my deal? Where’s my commercial? Cookie was at the top of the fashion game. Where is my endorsement? What did you have set up for after this?"
Taraji explained that her team's failures are the reason "you all haven’t seen me in so long. They had nothing set up. All they wanted was another Cookie show.”
Taraji explained that she was potentially open to an Empire spinoff featuring Cookie if it was done "right." "I said, ‘I’ll do it, but it has to be right,’" she said. "'The people deserve… She’s too beloved for y’all to fuck it up.’"
She continued, "And so, when they didn’t get it right, I was like, ‘Well, that’s it,’ and they had nothing else. ‘You’re all fuckin’ fired.’"
"It took me years to get there…you are the prize," she added while talking about what she's learned over the years. "Don’t you ever forget that. You are the talent. You are their check."
She continued, "Don’t ever forget that. They work for you. If they are not…somebody else will do it."
