Photo Credit: Dana Edelson/NBC

Over the weekend, Taraji P. Henson turned the iconic Saturday Night Live stage into a simulated church service, complete with an accompanying choir.

“I spent so many years hustling in this business and now, I’m here, so I guess you can say I made it. Hallelujah!” she said, before grabbing a microphone and breaking out into a charismatic performance fit for Sunday Morning.

Only the 10th woman of color to host SNL in its 40 year history, Henson, 44, delivered

Cookie Lyon is the new lion of prime time.

Fox’s Empire is shattering Nielsen records as the only series to rise in the ratings for seven consecutive weeks since its premiere, climbing steadily from 9.9 million same-day viewers for its Jan. 7 opener to 13.9 million last week. With DVR-delayed viewing factored in, it’s currently averaging 15.6 million viewers a week. And among young adults, it’s climbed 37% in seven weeks, the biggest gain for a new series since Fox’s teen soap The OC in 2003