Set to make a roaring return to television on September 23rd, Emmy nominee Taraji P. Henson and the cast of 'Empire', including Terrence Howard, Jussie Smollett, Trai Byers and Bryshere "Yazz" Gray, are featured on the new cover of The Hollywood Reporter.

In the publication, creator Lee Daniels talks candidly about the success of the show and speaks highly of his scene-stealing leading leading. "Taraji was what I call 'Project Royalty' because in the projects, honey, she is royalty," says Daniels, who courted her for the role. "She was Meryl Streep in the streets; it just took a moment for white America to catch on."

Last week, the Supreme Court made a historic ruling on gay marriage that marked a huge step toward America's journey to equality and the cast of the hit FOX show 'Empire' including Yazz, Jussie Smollett and Serayah used their performance to highlight the progress that has been made and the road still needs to be traveled. Watch their performance beneath:

Last night, 'Empire' capped off its television-defying freshman season with a two-hour finale and just like it has every week since its January 7th debut, the show soared to a new viewership high with 16.7 million viewers and a 6.5 rating among adults 18-49.

Starring Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, the show, which also has the No.1 album on the Billboard 200, ends the season as the top show on the broadcast networks, having officially passed 'The Big Bang Theory' in the key demo. The show, created by Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, has already been renewed and is expected to return in the fall for a second season.