‘Empire’ Stars and Fans Take Their Finale Feelings to the Internet

Empire
Chuck Hodes/FOX
Empire

Some 17.5 million viewers tuned in for the shocking sex, murder and music in the season finale of Fox’s soapy hip hop drama Empire. Throughout the two-hour set of back-to-back episodes, that audience took over Twitter, and to put it in the words of Empire’s own Cookie Lyon, Taraji P. Henson, “broke the Internet” with their enthusiasm. Hashtags like #EmpireFinale, #EmpireFox and #CookieMonsters flooded social media as the evening’s twists and turns played out. Here are some reactions from the stars of the show and the fans coping with both the tumultuous events of the finale and the fact that they now have to wait for Season 2 for more time with the Lyons.

Bryshere Gray (Hakeem)

Jussie Smollett (Jamal)

Grace Gealey (Anika)

Kaitlin Doubleday (Rhonda)

Having some cray reactions to this #EmpireFinale with my bebes @traibyers @gracegealey #empire

A photo posted by Kaitlin Doubleday (@kaitlindday) on

Taraji P. Henson (Cookie)

#CookieMonsters Y’all broke the Internet. 😂😭😂😭😂😂 They TALM’BOUT SUPER BOWL NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!! WOW!!! Sounds like an #Empire to me! Thank you beautiful ppl! #GodIs ��’���’���’�

A photo posted by taraji p henson (@tarajiphenson) on

Gabourey Sidibe (Becky)

And the fans: