"Empire" co-creator Lee Daniels now insists he was only joking when he ripped into Emmy Award selectors Thursday over the show not being nominated in the best drama category.

Daniels instantly took to Instagram after the selections were announced, ranting "f**k these motherf***ers in one video where he draped his arm around series co-star Jussie Smollett. "The Butler" director marked his postings with such hashtags as #canfinallyposthis.

It's not as if the Fox Network smash hit was completely shut out. The New York Daily News reports Taraji P. Henson, who co-stars alongside Terrence Howard as Cookie Lyon, was nominated for best actress. Howard, who plays hip-hop mogul Lucious Lyon, did not receive a nomination.

Later, Daniels sought to clarify some of his earlier remarks by expressing how much he loves the Emmys and striking a far more reserved tone.

"Empire" returns to the airwaves on Sept. 23, just three days after the 2015 Emmys are set to air. Already for the second season, Vibe magazine reports Chris Rock, Alicia Keys, Lenny Kravitz, Kelly Rowland, Marisa Tomei and Adam Rodriguez are all set to guest star.

Reports are that Daniels has also had talks with Denzel Washington and Oprah Winfrey, whom Daniels worked with on "The Butler," about perhaps making special guest star appearances.

"Empire" also stars Bryshere Y. Gray as Hakeem Lyon, Trai Byers as Andre Lyon, Kaitlin Doubleday as Rhonda Lyon and Anika Calhoun as Grace Gealey.

Also nominated along with Henson for Best Actress are Claire Danes ("Homeland"), Viola Davis ("How To Get Away With Murder"), Tatiana Maslany ("Orphan Black"), Elisabeth Moss ("Mad Men") and Robin Wright ("House of Cards").