Empire Afterparty

Midway through its second season, Empire continues its reign, remaining one of the most-watched and talked about shows in recent memory. This week, the show's creator Danny Strong gives us a peek inside the royal Lyon family: revealing how he "discovered" the reason Lucious can't trust Andre; detailing the revolutionary diversity of the writers' room; and explaining why the show's total craziness all stems from ten minutes of Kanye YouTube interviews.  What was your favorite moment of the season? Get at us on Twitter @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC. 

The Sanfords. The Jeffersons. The Cosbys. The Winslows. The Banks's.  And now the Lyons. In this special Thanksgiving episode, we talk about family: specifically, the evolution of the black family on television. NPR TV critic Eric Deggans tells us about his first encounter with the Evans family on Good Times, and explains why Lucious, Cookie, and their three sons might be a new thing in the TV world.  What do you think? What did you eat? Get at us on Twitter @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC. 

The first season of Empire pulled no punches when it came to addressing social issues pertaining to black families and hip hop culture. And one of the biggest plot-lines was Jamal’s: the talented middle Lyon child who is spurned by his dad because of his homosexuality. But Season Two has by and large ignored this provocative throughline. We ask writer Michael Arceneaux: why? And what does that mean? What do you think? Get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC!

Much has been made of the fashion on Empire. But the show's visuals are stunning across the board — not just the costumes, but also the sets, and especially the visual art that decorates seemingly every surface. Walking through the Lyons' world is like taking a stroll through a gallery of contemporary art from black artists. We talk to one artist whose piece featured prominently in the season two premiere, and explore what it means for TV's biggest show to highlight modern black artists.  Tell us about your favorite art on the show! And get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC!

That scene where Cookie takes Lyon family dinner to-go? Lucious's reaction to Jamal's coming out? Anika's killer dance moves? Tyler Menzel is the guy behind the GIFs. Maybe he didn't make them himself (though he's made plenty), but his company Giphy is responsible for the wild proliferation of these compulsively meme-able, shareable images. We find out why Empire is the most GIF-able show on TV, and Tyler shares some useful GIFs for everyday moments.  Send us your favorite Empire reaction GIF; get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC.

Empire was pre-empted this week by the World Series. Whether you're a Mets fan or a Royals fan, on this we can agree: Everybody's a fan of Cookie Lyon. So this week, we went in search of someone who could tell us what it's like to walk in Cookie's shoes. And dresses. And leopard print fedoras. Jazmine Hughes wrote an essay for Cosmopolitan about how dressing like Cookie for a week made her feel like a badass, so we invited her over to talk about the experience. Get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC — send us your best GIFs and your hottest takes!

Sure, Episode 5 had some notable developments. Cookie found both a doggie and a lapdog. Andre got right with God. And that dirty hippie photographer...well, the less said about him, the better. But you know who really owned this episode? Michael, that's who. So we talk to him! Rafael de le Fuente joins special guest host Kevin Brown (Dot Com from '30 Rock') to take us backstage for his big American TV break, and talk about what to expect next for #JaMichael.  Get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC — send us your best GIFs and your hottest takes! And this week's Ne-Yo soundtrack got particularly hot; listen here! 

Empire is, at its dramatic heart, a show about hip hop culture. So it's about damn time we talk about the music. We dial up super producer Mark Batson, who crafted that anthemic Season Two opener, and also talk to writer and author Shea Serrano about where Empire's music falls in the hip hop canon (and try to understand why he likes that terrible Lucious single).  Take a listen to some of the finest beats from TV's premier purveyor of hip hop. Get at us each and every Wednesday night @EmpirePodcast and @JozenC — send us your best GIFs and your hottest takes!  

We know … we’re only three episodes in, but we strongly felt the need to hit “pause” this week and acknowledge something fiercely consistent about Season 2 that we can no longer ignore – the threads in the Lyons den. From Cookie’s power ensembles that add bring a new sophistication, to her “fat gold chain” power suit, all the way to Andre's sweaters...this show's fashion game is on fleek. This week we chat with style gurus Serena da Conceicao, Creative Director for the Nicki Minaj line, and GQ's "Style Guy" Mark Anthony Green, who break down for us why the wardrobe and style for this show matters.  Also, to inspire that perfect Empire themed outfit, we suggest listening to a little bit of Bout 2 Blow & Dynasty. The best songs thus far—trust us.   

After a bonkers season premiere, episode two of Empire gave us a much needed breather. So the Empire Afterparty had to bring back Kevin Brown, a.k.a. Dot Com from 30 Rock, to talk Blackness.

Listener discretion is advised, and spoilers ahead! The season 2 premiere of Empire was lit! We got Cookie in a gorilla suit, Cookie in a peacock suit, Lucious in jail, Lucious Skyping from jail, Marisa Tomei hitting on women, and Chris Rock playing a hard-ass dude with skinny-ass arms.  The only thing more fire than the show was watching the show at our live viewing party in The Greene Space, and then going deep with our all-star panel on questions like, Is the music actually any good? How does one mail a severed head from inside prison? And what do we make of the opening scene's comments on the criminal justice system? Our guests include Ebony editor Jamilah Lemieux, New York Times pop music critic Jon Caramanica, and 30 Rock's Kevin Brown. A scene from the live taping of Empire Afterparty from WNYC. (Kyle Smith/WNYC) From L to R: Kevin Brown, Empire Afterparty host Jozen Cummings, Jamilah Lemieux, and Jon Caramanica. (Kyle Smith/WNYC)   Remember to follow Empire Afterparty, host Jozen Cummings, and all of our guests on Twitter for vital supplementary content like this: I want Chris Rock to bulk up for me like Drake did Serena — jamilah (@JamilahLemieux) September 24, 2015 In case you all need it: some background on Tammy Faye Baker https://t.co/r2t0bLpsm5 — Jozen C. (@jozenc) September 24, 2015 Anyone else remember Marisa Tomei from 'A Different World'? #EmpireSeason2 #Empire #throwback pic.twitter.com/FJd5r7HtHi — Empire Afterparty (@EmpirePodcast) September 24, 2015

Welcome to the Empire Afterparty, a weekly reflection, meditation, take-down, and twist on FOX's hit hip-hopera. In this episode, meet your host, writer and commentator Jozen Cummings, and learn about his affection for Lucious' scarves. Plus: New York Magazine Editor-at-Large Carl Swanson helps us set the stage for Season Two, and takes us into the mind of show creator Lee Daniels. Get your Drip Drop on, it's time to talk Empire! And when you watch the season premiere of Empire on September 23, tweet at us @EmpirePodcast.