Lee Daniels Says It's A 'Miracle' He Doesn't Have HIV

Lee Daniels considers himself lucky.

The TV producer, behind the hit show “Empire,” revealed to an audience at SXSW that shortly after he moved to Los Angeles he started doing drugs.

Daniels, an openly gay man, said it was right around the time of the AIDS crisis and he witnessed several close friends contract the disease. According to Deadline, Daniels told the audience that he was amazed he never got the disease.

"It's a miracle I don't have HIV," Daniels said. "I can't figure it out."

The 57-year-old also opened up about realizing early on in his childhood that he was gay.

"I learned that I like men," Daniels said. "But I knew if I expressed that difference early on, it would get me killed."

Daniels' family, however, was aware of his sexuality and the director shared that his grandmother gave him some stern advice on how things would be for him as a gay man.

"You're a f----- and black," he said his grandmother told him. "Life isn't going to be easy."

Despite his grandmother's warning, Daniels has been able to carve a name for himself in Hollywood.

"I'm more humble now," Daniels said. "I know there are ups and downs. I know there are far better directors out there. I'm a vessel and I'm here to pass it on to people far better than me."

SOURCE