ESSENCE Poll: Would the N-Word Give 'Empire' More 'Street Cred'?

Marc Hom/Entertainment Weekly

If Lucious Lyon and his family were to toss around the N-word, would it make the show more realistic? Terrence Howard sure thinks so.

Taylor Lewis Mar, 18, 2015

There are two very distinct sides to the N-word debate: Those who are for the use of the word in everyday conversation, and those who are adamantly against it. Terrence Howard is of the former.

The star of Fox’s hit Empire has not been shy about his frequent use of the term (he just revealed that he doesn’t mind his White friends saying it around him), and he thinks that it should be incorporated into Empire‘s script.

“Why is TV showing something different from the reality of the world?” he recently told Entertainment Weekly. “We use n—- every day. It’s become part of a conversation—why aren’t we using it in the show?”

Both the show’s creator, Lee Daniels, and Howard’s co-star, Taraji P. Henson, are saying N-O. Henson told USA TODAY earlier this week that the only reason it would be added would be to add shock valve—something that this wildly popular show does not need.

What side of the spectrum do you fall on? Do you think using the N-word on Empire would give the show more “street cred,” or would it simply give more power to the word? Take our poll, and leave us a comment explaining your answer.

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