Empire's Lee Daniels Explains the Origins of the Infamous Blowjob Bib

The cast of Empire participated in a live-streamed Q&A last night leading up to next week’s season finale. The topics at hand: race, sexuality, success and the all-important origin tale of the blowjob bib.

The interview session took place at L.A.’s Ace Theater after a screening of the first hour of the finale. On the panel were creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, in addition to all the primary cast members. According to Kaitlin Doubleday, who plays the blowjob bib-wearer Rhonda, the cast received bibs as wrap gifts after the show’s finale taped.

Explaining how that part of the storyline came about, Doubleday said, “I remember Lee cackling about something he had written in episode two… I’m surprised that [Fox] let us keep it in.”

The BJ bib was a suggestion from one of the show’s clearly highly inventive writers Malcolm Spellman. Lee Daniels says:

“The writer that wrote that piece, Malcolm Spellman, he said, ‘You know, she’d put on a bib to go down on him.’ And then he immediately stopped because he’s used to being in rooms where it’s not accepted… [But] that’s what makes provocative television, stuff like that that makes you go, whoa… The bib moment is my favorite moment.”

Much of the session was rehashed commentary, but Daniels also spoke about the show’s overwhelming success, saying, “The networks underestimate the intelligence of everyone in this room.”