Is 'Empire' Based on Diddy's Life?

A while back, rumors swirled that Diddy was mad about the show Empire, felt that it had ripped off his life, and wouldn't let his son appear on the show. But on Watch What Happens Live, Diddy told Andy Cohen that's not true. "I heard that it was mimicking my life, but once I saw that [Lucious] was a criminal, an ex-drug dealer, I knew it wasn't about me," he said. But is that how you really feel, Diddy? After saying he loves the show, he clearly reconsidered his original statement moments later:

Diddy: "I mean, I think that they, you know, a little bit, but yeah, no!"

Cohen: "It's a tribute!"

Diddy: "I mean, it's plagiarism a little bit."

He maintained that Empire co-creator Lee Daniels is a good friend and while there are some similarities between his life and that of fictional Lucious Lyon (they both have three sons, they're both in the music), the character is an amalgamation of a lot of people in the industry. And when Andy asked if there's a Cookie in his life, Diddy revealed the most important fact: "I mean, there's always a Cookie."

Even if Empire isn't based on him specifically, we would totally watch a spin-off version about Diddy (obviously titled Boo Boo Diddy).