Top 10 Most Outrageous Cookie Lyon Moments

Her methods can be unorthodox to say the least, but Cookie Lyon is a businesswoman that gets the job done. A key example of this occurs late in Season 1, as she tries to convince Royale-T to remain at Empire Entertainment. When rival Creedmoor Records attempts to snatch up the artist, Cookie challenges them to a drinking contest. The purple beverage is no match for Cookie, who holds her own against the competition. Drinking everyone else under the table, Cookie is just one shot away from sealing the deal. Toasting to Empire, she walks away victorious. Even when she’s drunk as a skunk, Cookie commands the room with confidence, determination, and lots of sass.

Cookie is unlikely to win Mother of the Year anytime soon, but if somebody lays a finger on one of her children, there will be hell to pay. Cookie goes into full mama bear mode when Hakeem is kidnapped, working up to a heart-pounding final confrontation where the youngest Lyon son pulls a gun on his abductors. Putting her own life on the line, Cookie convinces Hakeem to lower the weapon. Cookie still sends a powerful message to the kidnappers, however, pointing the gun at the leader’s head and reminding him that she owns these streets. Going from nurturing to fierce in the blink of an eye, Cookie is a mother with layers.

Whenever the Lyon clan assembles for a friendly family dinner, Cookie is bound to make a scene before dessert. Arriving at a classy restaurant, Cookie expects Lucious to serve up some romance with a side of lovemaking. Instead, she finds a bitter main course on the menu. In front of the whole family, Lucious announces his engagement to Anika. After stripping the petals from a rose, Cookie proceeds to strip off her fur coat, revealing sexy lingerie underneath. She storms off shortly after, but not before giving Anika a good look at her assets. As hilarious as it is unexpected, you can always count on Cookie to make a get-together interesting.

Lucious and Cookie’s love-hate relationship has resulted in numerous arguments over the years. The tension between them reaches its boiling point in Season 3, as Cookie turns Lucious’ office into her own personal batting cage. Seeing Cookie wallop her ex-husband with a baseball bat is nothing short of shocking. What’s even more jaw-dropping, though, is the fury Cookie unleashes on Lucious’ possessions. As Lucious struggles to stand, Cookie smashes his collection of gold records. Her rampage climaxes with the destruction of a grand piano, demonstrating why Lucious can’t have nice things. The aftermath of this scene leaves Cookie, Lucious, and the audience emotionally drained.

Whether she’s armed with a bat or a broom, Cookie’s one woman you don’t want to upset. After giving Hakeem a broomstick beat-down in the pilot, Cookie sweeps the floor with him once again in Season 2. This time, however, she’s really had it with her ungrateful son. Ambushing Hakeem, Cookie asks her boy to retract his vote against the family. When using her words doesn’t work, she takes a more physical approach. Although her broom breaks in half, there are plenty of other things to beat Hakeem with. Each strike comes complete with a flashback to this mother and son embracing each other, a reminder of just how volatile Cookie Lyon can be.

She might squabble with Lucious on a regular basis, but Cookie can’t even stand being in the same room as Anika. Both of these ladies are hell-bent on becoming queen of Empire. At the end of Season 1, their feud finally pushes them both over the edge. A trash talk session quickly escalates into a showdown, as Cookie throws her drink in Boo-Boo Kitty’s face. Not one to take disrespect lying down, Anika retaliates by pulling Cookie’s hair. From there, profanities are uttered, necklaces are broken, and a pool table becomes the fighting ring. Over-the-top, and pulling no punches, it’s everything one could want in a classic catfight.

Conspiring with Billy Beretti behind Lucious’ back, Anika has the king of Empire wrapped around her finger – her ring finger to be precise. When Cookie catches wind of her deceit, she wastes no time busting in on Lucious and Anika’s meeting with the wedding planner. Caught off-guard, Anika tries to lie her way out of the situation, but the words get stuck in her throat. Seeing her rival in such a desperate state brings Cookie great joy and the audience is equally satisfied. Just as Lucious gives his fiancé the boot, Cookie takes it upon herself to throw out Anika’s possessions. That’s one way of saying, “Bye Felicia.”

Cookie isn’t a fan of Camilla Marks for a variety of reasons: the fact that she’s dating Hakeem, the fact that she’s old enough to be Hakeem’s mother, the fact that she’s Hakeem’s Yoko Ono... you get the idea. A White Party nearly becomes draped with red when Cookie first meets Camilla. While a fight ultimately doesn’t break out, Cookie’s words still pack a mean punch. She not only takes shots at Camilla’s age, but also makes it clear who’d be on the bottom bunk (so to speak) if they ever shared a prison cell. This wouldn’t be the last time these two clashed, as Cookie later gives Camilla a face full of saliva (xref).

Cookie has a way with words, but she’s the last person who should be saying grace, especially if Anika’s present. After stealing Anika’s spot at the head of the table, Cookie leads the family in a prayer. Although she starts off on a humble note, Cookie just can’t contain herself when Anika rudely lets out a cough. She thus asks God to bless everyone at the table, including a certain hoe. Of course it’s probably safe to say that in the back of Cookie’s mind, she was actually picturing God striking Anika down. In any case, it’s one of Cookie’s most memorable one-liners and the kiss she blows to Anika is the perfect mic drop.


Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:

Who Throws a Shoe, Honestly?
“The Outspoken King”

The Name’s Cookie
“Dangerous Bonds”

Take These Cookies
“Unto the Breach”

Ever since the very first episode, actress Taraji P. Henson has dominated the small screen as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon. This pivotal moment solidified Cookie’s place among television’s greatest modern characters, guaranteeing viewers would be adding this show to their watch list. After spending 17 years behind bars, she orders her ex-husband Lucious to fork over half of the company to her like a boss. Lucious isn’t about to just surrender half of his kingdom, but Cookie reminds him that there would be no Empire without her. In case he didn’t get the message, Cookie drops in on a board meeting to let Lucious know that she’s back and here to stay.