The Internet went crazy this week when a viral clip made rounds showing hip hop mogul Dame Dash confronting director/writer Lee Daniels about money he owed him. The altercation happened in the middle of a Diana Ross concert of all places and things got pretty heated, at least where Dash was concerned. Now, Daniels is speaking out for the first time since the incident and explains what he plans to do going forward.
In a sit-down interview with TMZ’s “Raq Rants,” Lee Daniels finally addressed what led to his confrontation with Dame Dash and he confirmed that Dash’s accusations were true. He admitted that when no one else in Hollywood, specifically any of the big studios, would give him money for his 2004 drama The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon, Dash personally invested $2 million of his own money so that the film could get made.
He also said that he was very grateful for Dash believing in him at a time when few others did and acknowledged that without his support early in his career, he would not have gone on to the great success he has achieved with films like The Butler and TV hits like Empire. Daniels also stated that he fully intends to finally pay Dash his money and that he realized he was wrong for not paying him in the first place.
“This black man gave me money when nobody, not Disney, not Sony, not TriStar, not Paramount, not Warner Brothers for a film, he did it. And so for that, you know, he deserves his money. And so I’m gonna work out something for him because I am in the position now to get it to him, so I’m gonna get it to him because I think that it’s the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile, Dame Dash seems to have accepted Daniels’ apology and wants to move forward, according to his recent Instagram post: