Empire Flashback Video: Ryan Asks Out Jamal

Luscious Lyon (Terrence Howard) has come a long way throughout the seasons on Empire and is finally accepting of Jamal’s (Jussie Smollett) sexuality, but it didn’t start out that way.

In his flashback clip from Season 1, Jamal gets asked out for a drink by Ryan (Eka Darville), a guy hired by Lucious to create an Empire documentary. Though Jamal is flattered to be asked out, he warns Ryan about his dad’s feelings towards gay people.

“You know, honestly, if you really want to keep your job, you should not let my dad know who you are,” Jamal tells Ryan. Watch the video above to see how Ryan responds to Jamal’s warning.