--- title: Lee Daniels Toasts His Mother at Time 100 description: The 2015 TIME 100 honoree toasted his mother, Clara, at the gala in April. What follows is the text of his speech canonical: https://time.com/3848864/lee-daniels-toasts-mother-butler/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-05-07T07:00:18.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-01T09:07:55.710Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Lee Daniels: 'My Mother Knew I Had to Get Out of the Ghetto' og:description: The 2015 TIME 100 honoree toasted his mother, Clara, at the gala in April og:url: https://time.com/3848864/lee-daniels-toasts-mother-butler/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt544139d6c785f747/6987ee9fcd684847a809de90/lee-daniels.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2039 og:image:height: 1147 og:image:alt: Lee Daniels attends the 2015 TIME 100 Gala cocktail reception, to celebrate the 100 most influential people in the world, at the Frederick P. Rose Hall, Time Warner Center on April 21, 2015, in New York. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Lee Daniels: 'My Mother Knew I Had to Get Out of the Ghetto' twitter:description: The 2015 TIME 100 honoree toasted his mother, Clara, at the gala in April twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt544139d6c785f747/6987ee9fcd684847a809de90/lee-daniels.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Lee Daniels: 'My Mother Knew I Had to Get Out of the Ghetto' > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=f40c85aa-3e45-4005-aa65-7d0ade539639&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Lee Daniels on the Women Who Changed His Life [Watch (HLS stream): Lee Daniels on the Women Who Changed His Life](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DUbV2mi7.m3u8) (2:37)  _Published 2015-04-16. “I never saw myself as a filmmaker because I didn’t know there were African American filmmakers, so I never really had anyone to look up to, because there weren’t any really,” says Daniels, a filmmaker and creator of the TV series Empire._ by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 7, 2015 7:00 AM UTC by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff May 7, 2015 7:00 AM UTC I stand before you a very humble man — a very nervous man. I’ve been to many award shows, but this place is on another level. I think about my kid, my son. I have twins that I didn’t want to have the life that I had. I didn’t have a great life growing up. I had my mom, who’s here tonight. But it wasn’t a great life. And so I wanted my kids to have the life that I didn’t have, as all parents do. I wonder now… My son says I don’t have enough time for him. My mom had five kids. And she came home after working three jobs, and I’d rub her feet. We’d all rub her feet. We were lucky to get any time with her. My mom knew early on that I was gay, and she knew that I had to get out of the ghetto. And so she hit up my next door neighbor, who was a butler — hence _The Butler._ And he was the butler for Ed Snyder, who was the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. I drove out every day to a world of white people. And that world opened my life into a magical place that I don’t think I would’ve known. Most of my friends are dead. I watched friends die in my arms at 5, 6, 8\. When I grew up the rest of my friends died of AIDS. That I don’t have HIV is a miracle from God. So this evening is for my mom, because she knew I was destined for something — what that something is, I don’t know. But I love her from the bottom of my heart, and I honor her tonight, because this is really for her. Clara — Mom — stand up. ### See the Stars at the 2015 TIME 100 Gala  Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Brendan McDermid—Reuters  Emma Watson attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images  Julianne Moore attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Lorne Michaels attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West, along with Amy Schumer, attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Faith Hill and Tim McGraw attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Amy Schumer attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  John Oliver attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Misty Copeland attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Jorge Ramos attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Barbara Walters attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Arianna Huffington attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Lindsey Vonn and Karlie Kloss attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Julianna Margulies attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Bennett Raglin—Getty Images for TIME  Brian Chesky and Elissa Patel attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Patrick McMullan—Sipa USA  Diane Von Furstenberg attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Padma Lakshmi attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Danny Meyer and Audrey Meyer attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  John Green and Sarah Urist Green attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Abby Wambach and Sarah Huffman attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Dr. Tom Frieden attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Ina Garten and Jeffrey Garten attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Chanda Kochhar attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Rupert Murdoch attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Arianna Huffington attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Jenji Kohan attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Lindsey Vonn attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Guests at the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Martha Stewart and Kim Kardashian West attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Larry Busacca—Getty Images for TIME  Bradley Cooper and Willie Geist attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Bradley Cooper and Emma Watson attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Laverne Cox attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Diane von Furstenberg and Julianne Moore attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Christopher Nolan talks to TIME reporter Nolan Feeney during the TIME 100 gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Jemal Countess—Getty Images for TIME  Kim Kardashian West attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Martha Stewart and Karlie Kloss attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  John Oliver attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Samantha Powers, Ronan Farrow, Mia Farrow, and Cass Sunstein attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Craig Venter and Elizabeth Holmes attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Bradley Cooper, Jane Boon, Norman Pearlstein attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Patrick McMullan —Sipa USA  Faith Hill and Tim McGraw attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Barbara Walters and Diane von Furstenberg attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Larry Busacca—Getty Images for TIME  Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe and Kira Orange-Jones attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Arianna Huffington, Nancy Gibbs and Samantha Power attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Brian Grazer and guest attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME  Lee Daniels and Clara Watson attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Jemal Countess—Getty Images for TIME  Tim McGraw performs onstage during TIME 100 Gala, TIME's 100 Most Influential People In The World at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Apr. 21, 2015 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Bradley Cooper, Nancy Gibbs, Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian West attend the TIME 100 gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on Apr. 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Kanye West performs at TIME 100 Gala, TIME's 100 Most Influential People In The World at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Apr. 21, 2015 in New York City. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Kanye West performs on stage at the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Julianne Moore and Bart Freundlich attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Clint Spaulding—Patrick McMullan/Sipa USA  Julianna Margulies and Keith Lieberthal attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Patrick McMullan —Sipa USA  George Lucas, Kanye West, and Elon Musk attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Bradley Cooper and Lorne Michaels attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Martha Stewart Kanye West attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Patrick McMullan —Sipa USA  Laverne Cox, Kim Kardashian and Naomi Campbell attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Patrick McMullan—Sipa USA  Marie Kondo, Julianne Moore and Jenna Lyons attend the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City on April 21, 2015. Kevin Mazur—Getty Images for TIME  Laverne Cox poses with a TIME 100 gift bag as she attends the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York, NY, on Apr. 21, 2015. Andrew Hinderaker for TIME ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] I want you to experience my life, and I think that that's the purest form of art, is to experience what I experience. I was bullied. As a kid or forever. I learned to not go to the bathroom from the time that I was in kindergarten through sixth grade, because I was too afraid to go into the bathroom. That's how bullied I was. That's real. That's very, very real. I felt like an outsider when I was a kid. When I finally embrace that this is what I wanted to do I look at everybody else as outsiders if you're on my train then come on aboard. You know Precious wasn't an outsider you know these are people that I know these are people that are real to me these are people that I grew up with. You know the people in Empire. But it was music that played through my mind that kept me alive when I thought I was gonna get shot. Monster's Ball. I'm Cecil Gaines. I'm the new butler. The Butler. These are, they aren't outsiders. They are people like, and that's my world that I live in. And if you don't understand it then you're an outsider. [ MUSIC ] I never saw myself as a filmmaker because there, I didn't know that there were African American filmmakers, there were black filmmakers or makers of color. So I never really had someone to look up to or someone to aspire to be because there weren't any really. Boom. Cut. These two. African American women really inspired me to do what I do because they believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Susan Taylor, from Essence magazine, and I was in my 20's. She saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. A lady named Cynthia Robinson Oredugba. Who was the first African American agent at William Morris some 35 years ago, 40 years ago. They're not famous, famous, but they're very famous in my eyes. I felt recognized for the first time in my life when Spike Lee, he pulled me to the aside and he said, I don't think you realize how you've changed the face of television. I had a moment to reflect and think, oh wow, oh wow, holy crap wow. I passed that guy, I've got to live up to something now. Yeah. Is that crazy that, you know, you. You don't think that way until you're 55 years old, as soon as you, you think, wow, ha, I'm making a little bit of impact here. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3848864/lee-daniels-toasts-mother-butler/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3848864/lee-daniels-toasts-mother-butler/"},"headline":"Lee Daniels: 'My Mother Knew I Had to Get Out of the Ghetto'","datePublished":"2015-05-07T07:00:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-01T09:07:55.710Z","description":"The 2015 TIME 100 honoree toasted his mother, Clara, at the gala in April. 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