This past weekend’s SNL with Bat Birdman star Michael Keaton kept Dwayne Johnson’s franchise viagra going strong, but will Taraji P. Henson make a true Empire out of the NBC sketch comedy’s landmark 40th season? Find out in the slap-tastic first promos for this weekend’s next SNL!

Paired opposite Taran Killam, this Saturday’s host Taraji P. Henson gets the requisite Empire jokes out of the way early, slapping Taran for assuming she’d be anything like her character, and later helping him do his best Cookie against Kyle Mooney. The bits take an unusually meta turn as Killam continually messes up takes, before diving into his own pitch for Umpire, you guessed it, a baseball take on Empire. Ride that train!

SNL Taraji P Henson Empire Slap
NBC
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The April 11 installment will see Henson hosting for the first time alongside returning musical guests Mumford & Sons, the last known acts booked for the immediate SNL future. In the meantime, check out Henson’s first SNL promos above, and get ready for Saturday’s latest, and all the Empire jokes you can handle.

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