Director Lee Daniels is 'gutted' by sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby

Empire co-creator and Philly native Lee Daniels addressed the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby on CNN Wednesday, telling host Don Lemon that he is "gutted" by the accusations facing the comedian.

"He is one of the reasons I am here today," Daniels told CNN. "It is very, very hard, and what bothers me most is if there is an iota of truth to this … the one person of color that means the most to me is pulled down."

His first reaction to Lemon's question about the accusation, however, was to flip it around on the host, asking him the same. Lemon, for his part, responded with "Where there is smoke there is usually fire," and pressed Daniels for an answer.

In confronting Cosby's possible guilt, Daniels likened the situation to his thoughts on creating characters for his projects.

"If he is guilty, it says that we are human, which is what I like to examine with every character that I breathe life into. We are not black, it is not white — it's grey. We are all complicated, and we all like to point fingers and drag people through the mud when stuff ain't right," he said.

"What's fascinating is it's not going to change," Daniels continued. "I pray for him. I pray for him. I'm sad. I am wrecked by it, I am gutted by it. He's a man. And the victims, you know?"

More than 30 women have accused Cosby of sexual assault, all instances of which Cosby has denied through his reps. As of Wednesday this week, Cosby issued a press release reiterating that he is "far from finished" and plans to continue his ongoing comedy tour despite venue disruptions and cancellations.

[CNN]