Taraji P. Henson Jokes About Her Empire Character Cookie: “I Hate That B*tch!”

Even before the episodes aired, Taraji knew the show would be huge, because they were filming while we were all just watching the first episodes and getting blown away.

Taraji P. Henson amusingly explained why she “hates” her “Empire” character Cookie Lyon on Thursday’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers.”

Henson and Meyer were talking about the breakout show’s unforgettable dialogue, including some of the infamous Cookie lines, when the actress revealed that she actually came up with some of the sassy quips herself. But the improvising has actually caused a bit of a problem. Calling Cookie “sort of my alter-ego,” Henson opened up about the positive and negative ways the character has “crept” into her life.

“I hate that b*tch!” exclaimed the star. “And the reason why is she’s stolen my identity. No one ever calls me by my name anymore. They call me Cookie.” Of course, there are some perks, too, with Henson hilariously demonstrating how “Cookie” can get her into restaurants.

Henson further said she predicted the FOX series’ incredible ratings growth, since she was well aware of the craziness that would be playing out on screen over the course of the season. “What means more to me,” shared the actress, “is when I hear fans say, ‘Finally, we have family night in my house.'” Meyers then joked, “And they watch and they go, ‘Our family might be screwed up, but we’re not this bad!”
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