“I think once 'Empire' hit, there was a lot of bad black TV that followed, because we work in the business of hit-seekers and copycats, so they're like, 'Oh this is a show about black people; this is about music, OK let's do a version of that.' And, of course, it doesn't work because it's not organic.”

American actress, producer, and screenwriter

Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is known for creating the Showtime drama series The Chi and the BET comedy series Boomerang and Twenties. She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim and serves as an executive producer on the horror anthology series Them. Her work spans television and film, with credits as a writer, producer, and performer across comedy, drama, and horror.