Even though Empire ended its first season a while ago, the reality of all our favorite shows being over for the summer is finally setting in. Luckily, fans of the Lyon family don't have to suffer for long. Not only will Empire Season 2 premiere in the fall instead of midseason, but Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard are bringing Cookie and Lucious chemistry to you all summer. You don't need to put the Empire album on repeat or pray that the proposed concert tour comes to fruition to keep this party going.
The matriarch and patriarch of the Lyon family ended the season on one Hell of a cliffhanger. Cookie's deal with the feds finally paid off, and Lucious was carted away to jail. Meanwhile, Lucious knows that Cookie tried to kill him and Jamal shocked us all by picking his father's side in the season finale. It's difficult to imagine where their rocky relationship will be when the Fox series returns, but it's certain to be juicy.
Since they're likely to be separated at the beginning of Season 2, it's awesome that Henson and Howard are working together this summer. It's all the fun of their Empire relationship without any drama. Here's a few places you can see the Empire stars this summer.
Guys Choice Awards
Don't mind me, I'm just over here laughing forever at the hilarious banter in this promotional clip. On June 6, the duo will host the Guys Choice Awards on Spike. How sneaky of them to slip the feminist energy of Cookie Lyon into such a manly man event. Celebrity presenters at the ceremony will include Chris Pratt, Sir Ben Kingsley, Hannah Davis, LL Cool J, Dwayne Johnson, Avan Jorgia, and Liam Neeson. Hopefully this will start a trend — if it goes well, I'd love to see these two host or present at the Emmys or Golden Globes!
Lip Sync Battle
If you thought the Game of Thrones-esque battle between the Lyon family members on Empire wasn't enough, just wait. Henson and Howard will also compete in the season finale of Spike TV's Lip Sync Battle, which has been a quiet viral sensation. I honestly cannot wait for this. We haven't seen enough of Henson's performance side on Empire. There's no way that those kids get all their talent from Lucious. Empire can get very serious, and it'll be fun to see the two of them be silly for a night.
Out & About
To say that the Empire cast is close is an understatement. We know that much from social media. So there's no saying where we'll see the actors behind Cookie and Lucious next. They even share initials, as Henson's personalized hashtag points out! The two appeared with the rest of the cast at Fox's Upfront Presentation last month, where the smash hit show was rightfully the crown jewel of the network. I'm sure there will be plenty of Lyon action to come while we wait for more Empire.
Image: Chuck Hodes/Fox
