Why Did Lucious Lie About His Mom On 'Empire'? He Could Be Hiding Something

Throughout Empire's run, we have seen glimpses of Lucious' traumatizing childhood. In season two, however, it takes the flashbacks even further and brings them to the forefront of the actual narrative. The music video for Lucious' new song "Boom Boom Boom Boom," which he directs, dramatizes what he went through. Until recently, Lucious said — and we believed — that his mother, Leah, suffered from bipolar disorder and eventually committed suicide. However, it was hinted that his mother is still very much alive. Why did Lucious lie about his mom on Empire?

This season, the flashbacks of Lucious and his mother have been more frequent than that of season one and more upsetting. We see how his mother mistreated Lucious as a child and how she struggled with her mental health. Lucious wrote "Boom Boom Boom Boom" about his experiences, and confided in Cookie about details of his childhood.

In the last episode, Thirsty Rawlings traveled to the nursing home in Pennsylvania where Leah resides. While he requested not to see her, she was there – sitting in a rocking chair and singing "Mona Lisa." On Wednesday's episode, "More Than Kin," the story unfolded even further. Andre actually brought Leah to Empire, which pretty much confirms the old lady in the rocking chair is, in fact, Lucious' mom.

Is it possible that Lucious did not know his mother was alive? He and Andre both visited her gave. The flashbacks, too, are telling of a traumatic childhood. Even if he thought she passed away at some point, it's obvious that he lied about Leah committing suicide in front of him. Furthermore, there's no mention of a father or siblings, so who was responsible for putting Leah in a nursing home if not Lucious?

Lucious is always scheming. He has pretty much the worst track record of any character on this show — murdering, stealing, the list goes on — so it's not surprising he lied about something else. He could have lied about his mother's suicide to make his story more heartbreaking, and to make him seem like he overcame more than he did.

If Lucious knew that Leah was alive, he could have kept her away because she knows some damaging information. She must have so many details about Lucious' past; he did not want her to hurt Empire, so he kept her hidden. Whatever the case, his plan did not work. Leah is now in Empire, and we can't wait to see how it unfolds.