“Empire” creator Lee Daniels cracked himself up on Thursday with his response to a TV critics’ question about Sophia Eggleston, who is suing the Fox hit claiming that breakout character Cookie Lyon was based on her life.
“Who dat?” Daniels shot back when asked about Eggleston’s lawsuit during the hit show’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour panel. When the reporter clarified that Eggleston is the woman suing him, Daniels simply said: “Bye Felicia.”
“Bye Felicia” is a phrase that originated in the film “Friday,” but was re-popularized in culture this year by Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) on Daniels’ hip-hop soap opera. The saying is intended to be about as dismissive a two-word sentence as possible.
Eggleston filed a $300 million lawsuit in May, accusing Fox and co-creators Daniels and Danny Strong of stealing her life story.
The plaintiff said in the suit she was a “drug kingpin” who spent time in prison for manslaughter after placing a “hit” on a man, according to media reports. Eggleston also claimed she wrote her life story in a memoir about her “early drug lifestyle” titled “The Hidden Hand.”
Eggleston then stated she traveled to Los Angeles and pitched her story to screenwriter Rita Miller, handing over a copy of “The Hidden Hand.” Eggleston’s copyright suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Michigan, states that Miller told Eggleston she was directly pitching Daniels. Miller is also a named defendant.
The creator/executive producer, his showrunner Ilene Chaiken, and breakout star Henson also spent some time on Thursday teasing the sophomore followup to TV’s biggest new drama.
“You can’t compete with — it’s impossible,” Daniels told reporters when queried about following up on his unprecedented first season. Daniels did say that Season 2 would have a slower pace than the show’s frenetic freshman run.
Henson told journalists in the Beverly Hilton ballroom that the Season 2 idea was all about “taking apart the machine” they’ve created.
Chaiken allegedly had a more blunt explanation: “We’re here to fuck shit up,” Daniels and Henson both quoted her as saying.
TheWrap's TV Stars and Showrunners Exclusive Portraits (Updating Photos)
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Taraji P. Henson, "Empire"
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Grace Gealey, "Empire"
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Kaitlin Doubleday, "Empire"
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Kaitlin Doubleday, "Empire"
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Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Thomas Middleditch and Zach Woods, "Silicon Valley"
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Martin Starr, Kumail Nanjiani, Thomas Middleditch and Zach Woods, "Silicon Valley"
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Thomas Middleditch, "Silicon Valley"
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Thomas Middleditch, "Silicon Valley"
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Kumail Nanjiani, "Silicon Valley"
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Kumail Nanjiani, "Silicon Valley"
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Zach Woods, "Silicon Valley"
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Zach Woods, "Silicon Valley"
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Jussie Smollett, "Empire"
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Jussie Smollett, "Empire"
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Jussie Smollett, "Empire"
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Yael Grobglas, "Jane The Virgin"
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Yael Grobglas, "Jane The Virgin"
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Justin Baldoni, "Jane The Virgin"
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Justin Baldoni, "Jane The Virgin"
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Jaime Camil, "Jane The Virgin"
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Jaime Camil, "Jane The Virgin"
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Travis Van Winkle, "The Last Ship"
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Travis Van Winkle, "The Last Ship"
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Suzanne Cryer, "Silicon Valley"
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Suzanne Cryer, "Silicon Valley"
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Elvis Nolasco, "American Crime"
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Elvis Nolasco, "American Crime"
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Richard Cabral, "American Crime"
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Richard Cabral, "American Crime"
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"American Crime" creator John Ridley
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"American Crime" creator John Ridley
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Anthony Mendez, "Jane The Virgin"
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Anthony Mendez, "Jane The Virgin"
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Kether Donohue, "You're The Worst"
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Kether Donohue, "You're The Worst"
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Stephen Bishop, "Being Mary Jane"
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Stephen Bishop, "Being Mary Jane"
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Sasha Alexander, "Rizzoli & Isles"
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Sasha Alexander, "Rizzoli & Isles"
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Richard Brancatisano, "Chasing Life"
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Richard Brancatisano, "Chasing Life"
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Joelle Carter, "Justified"
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Joelle Carter, "Justified"
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Joe Morton, "Scandal"
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Joe Morton, "Scandal"
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Titus Welliver, "Bosch"
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Titus Welliver, "Bosch"
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Jason Gedrick, "Bosch"
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Jason Gedrick, "Bosch"
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Beth Riesgraf, "Complications"
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Beth Riesgraf, "Complications"
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Breeda Wool, "UnREAL"
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Breeda Wool, "UnREAL"
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Christopher Larkin, "The 100"
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Christopher Larkin, "The 100"
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Cas Anvar, "The Expanse"
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Cas Anvar, "The Expanse"
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"Modern Family" Producer Chris Lloyd
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"Modern Family" Producer Chris Lloyd
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Elaine Hendrix, "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll"
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Elaine Hendrix, "Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll"
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Erica Ash, "Survivor's Remorse"
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Erica Ash, "Survivor's Remorse"
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RonReaco Lee, "Survivor's Remorse"
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RonReaco Lee, "Survivor's Remorse"
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RonReaco Lee and Erica Ash, "Survivor's Remorse"
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RonReaco Lee and Erica Ash, "Survivor's Remorse"
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Ethan Embry, "Grace and Frankie"
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Ethan Embry, "Grace and Frankie"
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"The Thirteen" Executive Producer Jim Agnew
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"The Thirteen" Executive Producer Jim Agnew
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Michael Nouri, "The Slap"
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Michael Nouri, "The Slap"
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John DeLuca, "Twisted"
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John DeLuca, "Twisted"
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Bryshere "Yazz the Greatest" Gray, "Hakeem"
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Bryshere "Yazz the Greatest" Gray, "Hakeem"
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Donovan W. Carter, "Ballers"
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Donovan W. Carter, "Ballers"
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Kaitlyn Dever, "Last Man Standing"
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Kaitlyn Dever, "Last Man Standing"
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Danny Strong, Co-Creator and Showrunner "Empire"
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Aileen Chaiken, Showrunner "Empire"
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Keean Johnson, "Nashville"
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Keean Johnson, "Nashville"
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"Power" producer Courtney Kemp Agboh
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"Power" producer Courtney Kemp Agboh
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Lauren Stamile, "Complications"
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Lauren Stamile, "Complications"
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Marc Bendavid, "Dark Matter"
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Marc Bendavid, "Dark Matter"
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Stephen Monroe Taylor, "Texas Rising"
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Stephen Monroe Taylor, "Texas Rising"
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Patrick Fabian, "Better Call Saul"
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Patrick Fabian, "Better Call Saul"
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Pooch Hall, "Ray Donovan"
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Pooch Hall, "Ray Donovan"
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Kerris Dorsey, "Ray Donovan"
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Kerris Dorsey, "Ray Donovan"
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Steven Bauer, "Ray Donovan"
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Steven Bauer, "Ray Donovan"
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Robert Bailey Jr., "The Night Shift"
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Robert Bailey Jr., "The Night Shift"
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"The Amazing Race" producer Bertram van Munster
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"The Amazing Race" producer Bertram van Munster
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Robert Michael Morris, "The Comeback"
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Robert Michael Morris, "The Comeback"
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Glynn Turman, "House of Lies"
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Glynn Turman, "House of Lies"
Actors and EPs from top shows including ”Empire,“ ”Silicon Valley,“ ”American Crime“ as well as TV stars of tomorrow pose for photographer Dan Busta