SNL Puts ‘Empire’ Star Taraji P. Henson on ‘Sesame Street’
At some point in the SNL writer’s room, everyone must have realized that guest host Taraji P. Henson plays a monstrous character named Cookie on the smash hit Empire and, a few Cookie Monster jokes later, they were scrambling to call the producers of Sesame Street. Yes, SNL put Henson’s Cookie on the world’s most famous children’s program and the results are kind of spectacular.
The whole thing really works because Henson, in full Cookie regalia, appears to be on the actual Sesame Street set, interacting with the actual Sesame Street muppets. Any kind of imitation wouldn’t have sufficed. The clash of characters is genuinely insane.
When Cookie isn’t breaking up the seemingly unbreakable friendship between Big Bird and Snuffleupagus, she’s berating Bert over considering an unfair trade with Ernie. When she’s not trying to find ways to market a sing-along, she’s apparently wearing the murdered Elmo’s fur as a coat. And, of course, she refuses to share a cookie with Cookie Monster, eating the whole damn thing herself. There are few things for unexpectedly wonderful than Taraji P. Henson perfectly imitating the way that Cookie Monster eats cookies, loud grunts and all.
You know what? We’d watch a full hour of this. Someone make it happen.