'Empire' Stars Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard Respond to 50 Cent Diss (Video)

“Empire” stars Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard are laughing off rapper 50 Cent’s diss of their new Fox series.

The back-and-forth started last month when Fifty slammed the Lee Daniels-produced hip-hop drama, accusing it of copying the promotional campaign for the Starz series “Power,” which the rap mogul executive produces.

“POWER Season 2 is unbelievably good trust me. I have the best writers and show runner. I like Terrence Howard and Taraji Henson. I don’t like that they would copy the marketing,” Fifty said on Instagram, in a post he later deleted.

Also Read: Taraji P. Henson Says Her Oscar-Nominated ‘Fat Ass’ Can Get a Table, But Not Hollywood’s Respect

Now Henson and Howard are going on the record about Fifty’s slam. During the press junket for “Empire” Tuesday in Hollywood, the two stars told TheWrap they’re not mad at Fifty.

“50 Cent is a comedian,” Henson said. “He loves to push buttons. He’s a funny guy. I never took offense to it. If anything, I thought he was trying to jab at him,” she said pointing to Howard. “He’s jealous of his looks.”

Also Read: ‘Empire’s’ Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard Hope Gay Storyline Will Save Young Lives (Video)

Howard also chimed in saying, “50 is my monster man. We served jail time together in his film [‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’], we were naked together. I love the fact that we’re both pushing the envelope with our shows.”

While the two took the high road, a day earlier Henson had some choice words for the rapper. On Monday, when a Twitter follower asked her to comment on Fifty’s criticism, Henson shot back: “I pay attention to $’s NOT cents.”

“@KiaSoFlawless: @TherealTaraji how do you feel about what 50cent said about you and Terrance Howard?”<~ I pay attention to $'s NOT cents?✌️

— Taraji P. Henson (@tarajiphenson) January 5, 2015

Also Read: Taraji P. Henson Is Coming for Terrence Howard in Fox’s ‘Empire’ Trailer (Video)

Despite Henson’s hilarious reaction, Fifty isn’t taking the situation too seriously. He responded to Henson on Instagram Tuesday with humor in a video post. We’ll spare you the salty language, but you can click here to check out what he had to say, including calling the Oscar-nominated actress a “fine motherfu**er.”

“Empire” premieres Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

11 TV Shows Canceled by Controversy -- From 'Honey Boo Boo' to 'Politically Incorrect' (Photos)

Paula Deen’s Food Network shows - After admitting to using racial slurs, The Food Network severed their relationship with Deen and canceled her shows “Paula’s Home Cooking,” “Paula’s Best Dishes,” and “Paula’s Party.”
Food Network
“Politically Incorrect” – ABC pulled the plug on Bill Maher’s talk show after the host disagreed with President Bush calling the terrorists behind the September 11^th attacks cowards. Maher asserted that the U.S. military response in the Middle East was cowardly, saying: “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."
Getty Images
“Luck” – HBO canceled Dustin Hoffman's series after three horses died during production.
HBO
“Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” – TLC abruptly canceled the reality show after reports that June Shannon, mother to the young star of the series, was dating a convicted child molester.
TLC
“Ford Nation” – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s talk show, co-hosted by his brother Doug, lasted only one episode. The program premiered on the same day the Toronto City Council voted to strip Ford of most of his powers and budget.
Getty Images
“The Good Life” – CeeLo Green’s reality show was canned by TBS days after the musician pleaded no contest to a felony charge of giving a woman the drug ecstasy. He then tweeted: “People who have really been raped REMEMBER!!!”
Getty Images
“7^th Heaven,” in syndication – Reruns of The WB series were pulled from UP TV after audio tapes surfaced of the show’s patriarchal star Stephen Collins admitting to child molestation.
The WB
CNN’s Hillary Clinton documentary – Director Charles Ferguson pulled out of the project after Democrats, Republicans and the Clintons themselves criticized the film. CNN Films then canceled their plans to move forward with the documentary.
Getty Images
“All My Babies' Mamas” – Oxygen was in the midst of developing a special featuring rapper Shawty Lo and his family of 11 children from 10 different women. An online petition to cancel the show led the cable channel to shelve the project.
Oxygen
“Buckwild” – MTV suspended production on the reality series following the death of cast member Shain Gandee. The 21-year-old was found dead of accidental carbon monoxide poisoning.
MTV
"Flip It Forward" – Twin brothers Jason and David Benham were set to star in their own HGTV series, but the network shut down those plans after learning about homophobic, anti-Muslim and anti-abortion statements they’d made in the past.
HGTV

1 of 11

All of these series had the plug pulled on them under less than ideal circumstances

Paula Deen’s Food Network shows - After admitting to using racial slurs, The Food Network severed their relationship with Deen and canceled her shows “Paula’s Home Cooking,” “Paula’s Best Dishes,” and “Paula’s Party.”

View In Gallery

11 TV Shows Canceled by Controversy -- From 'Honey Boo Boo' to 'Politically Incorrect' (Photos)

7DAYFREETRIAL

7
DAY
FREE
TRIAL