Alfre Woodard joins the cast of Empire as Cookie’s mom
When Empire premiered in 2015, it initially centered on Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) dividing up his record-label kingdom among his three sons in a seeming nod to King Lear. But it quickly became the “Cookie Lyon Show,” thanks to Taraji P. Henson’s fierce performance. The show’s full of badass moms, though, including Grace Byers, Leslie Uggams, and guest star Phylicia Rashad. Now Fox has announced that a new lioness is joining the show—Alfre Woodard will guest star on the fourth season as Cookie’s mom Renee.