Terrence Howard wants N-word used on Empire; Taraji P. Henson and Lee Daniels disagree

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Fox’s hit series Empire has continuously gotten people’s attention by tackling hot button topics such as homophobia and mental health issues in the black community. Now, one of the lead actors wants to take on another cultural taboo — the N-word.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Terrence Howard, who plays Lucious Lyon, makes an argument for introducing the word into upcoming scripts.

If we start getting silly, if we start playing to people’s fancies, then we don’t deserve to be where we are. It’s a big pressure because I want to be a truth sayer. I want to raise the bar. I want to get rid of this f–ked-up word called PC. I think it’s a gate for bigotry because as long as you’re politically correct, you can say anything you want but feel some way different.

I’m mad that we don’t say ‘n–ger’ in the show. Why is TV showing something different from the reality of the world? Why is there a thing called censorship that stop people from hearing everyday talk? We use n–ger every day. It’s become part of a conversation — why aren’t we using it in the show?

But not everyone agrees with Howard — specifically, Lee Daniels and co-star Taraji P. Henson, who plays Cookie Lyon. Over the weekend, TMZ caught up with the actress, and she made it clear she wants nothing to do with the word.

Check out her reaction below.