Nia Long and Taraji P. Henson's Empire feud is real, according to a source close to the TV show's set.
Amid reports that the two actresses are "at each other's throats" on the set of the Fox show, a source tells E! News that their bickering boils down to each actress wanting to be the star of the show.
"Tensions calmed between them towards the end of the season, but it comes down to the fact that they both have been in the industry for so long and both want to be the star," the insider explains. "Unfortunately for Nia, Taraji is the star of Empire and no one and nothing will ever change that. Nia came with her own ideas, and they weren't having it."
Tensions rose to such levels that the source confirms producers were looking into ways to shoot their joint scenes separately. "Unfortunately, that's true," the insider says. Then again, "Nia may not be on the show anymore after this," the source adds.
But Long is also set to lead The Goldbergs spinoff, so she might not have returned to Empire anyway. Our source also tells us that Long's threat to sue over an "improper goodbye" stems from an event that took place on the last day of filming.
"It was when Nia made a big scene and claimed to 'file a lawsuit' against the crew after they rewrapped her trailer for a girl in the Make-a-Wish Foundation whose wish was to come to Empire," the source reveals. "Nia had finished filming and left so they changed her trailer into the Make-a-Wish girl's trailer. Then Nia popped back up and threw a giant fit when she saw it."
Afterwards, the two actresses "argued pretty badly in front of everyone."
Long's rep, however, says all of the feud rumors couldn't be farther from the truth.
"This story is complete nonsense," the star's rep said in a statement. "Throughout her long, established career, Nia has been nothing but a consummate professional treating all members of productions with respect. This is nothing but another complete fabrication about a series that has been plagued by constant rumors of drama and misconduct."
E! News has reached out Henson's rep and Fox for comment.