'Empire's' Taraji P. Henson to Host 'SNL' a Week After Michael Keaton's Third Turn

Fox’s smash hit “Empire” is now officially everywhere — including other networks.

Taraji P. Henson, who plays breakout star Cookie on Lee Daniels‘ hip-hop soap opera, will make her “Saturday Night Live” hosting debut on Apr. 11 with musical guest Mumford & Sons.

A week earlier, Michael Keaton will host “SNL” for his third time, sharing Studio 8H with Carly Rae Jepsen, who is marking her own first appearance on the sketch comedy show. The Oscar nominee for “Birdman” will next star in the upcoming feature films “Spotlight” and “Minions.” Jepsen, who has sold more than 17 million singles worldwide of smash hit “Call Me Maybe,” is promoting her new chart-climber, “I Really Like You.”

Regarding Henson’s backstage companions, next month’s Mumford & Sons two song-performance will mark the band’s second turn on the show. This time, the guys will be plugging their third studio album “Wilder Mind,” which comes out on May 4.

Also Read: Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Reveals His Dirty Porn Name in ‘SNL’ Promo (Video)

Henson’s “Empire” just wrapped up a record-setting first season with a hugely watched finale. Speaking of strong ratings, “Saturday Night Live’s” 40th anniversary celebration “SNL 40” was a big hit for NBC last month.

This coming Saturday, Mar. 28, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson hosts “SNL” for his fourth time with musical guest George Ezra, who will make his own show debut.

“Saturday Night Live” is produced in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels.

'SNL's' 40 Most Iconic Characters: From the Blues Brothers to Stefon (Photos)

Spartan Cheerleaders: Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri got spirit, how 'bout you?
Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers) and Garth Alger (Dana Carvey): Party time, excellent.
MacGruber (Will Forte): Makin' life-saving inventions out of household materials!
The Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd: Two soul men.
Stefon: Bill Hader never could keep a straight face as "Weekend Update's" New York City nightlife correspondent.
Girl You Wish You Hadn't Started a Conversation With at a Party: Cecily Strong's breakout character went away temporarily when she co-anchored "Weekend Update" for a season.
"Dick in a Box" guys: You better hope that Andy Samberg and Justin Timberlake aren't your Secret Santas.
The Church Lady: Dana Carvey's character on making this list: "Well isn't that special?"
Matt Foley: Chris Farley's character may be iconic, but he still "LIVES IN A VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!"
Sarah Palin (Tina Fey): Did this spot-on impression save "SNL" during a down period? "You betcha!"
Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner): "Weekend Update's" consumer affairs reporter had as much distaste for New Jersey as Richard Feder has questions.
Debbie Downer: Rachel Dratch's best character would surely find SOMETHING miserable about being considered one of the show's 40 most iconic.
Mary Katherine Gallagher: We know, Molly Shannon -- you're a superstar. So stop being so nervous all the time.
Haray Caray (Will Ferrell): "Cubs win! Cubs win!" PS, Wrap readers: If you were a hot dog, would you eat yourself?
Land Shark: Chevy Chase's deadly predator was most definitely NOT a dolphin, ma'am.
Roxbury guys: Before their movie, Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan clubbed hard on "SNL." One of their best sketches included host Jim Carrey.
(It's) Pat: Never before has androgyny been so much fun. PS: Pat was played by a lady, Julia Sweeney, if you didn't know.
The Ambiguously Gay Duo: Ace and Gary oftentimes found themselves in ... precarious ... situations. Now what is everyone looking at?
Stuart Smalley: Al Franken's "Daily Affirmations" character made our list because he's good enough, he's smart enough, and doggone it, people like him.
Dooneese: Kristen Wiig's "Lawrence Welk Show" character isn't much to look at, but she also can't sing at all.
Killer Bees: The Killer Bees have the distinction of being the first recurring characters on "Saturday Night Live" -- and they came back A LOT, mostly to spite network brass.
"Celebrity Jeopardy!" gang: You can't pick one: Alex Trebek (Will Ferrell), Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald) and Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond) were magic when they got together.
Gumby: Eddie Murphy is Gumby, damnit! Sorry Pokey, you didn't make the cut.
The Ladies Man: Tim Meadows' character liked the fairer sex even more than he dug Courvoisier -- and we loved him for that.
The Gap Girls: Chris Farley, David Spade and Adam Sandler always had fun when they got together. Add cross-dressing and mall food court gossip and it gets even better.
The Festrunk Brothers: Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd's "Wild and Crazy Guys" birthed those Roxbury guys we talked about earlier. Know your history, kids!
Bill Swerski's Superfans: These Chicago sports fans love Da Bulls and Da Bears as much as they love bear and Polish sausage. Seen here with their cherished Michael Jordan.
The Continental: Christopher Walken's recurring character was really forward with the ladies. He may have lacked game, but was never short on ascots.
Hans and Franz: The Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon duo were here to pump people up way before Aaron Rodgers and State Farm Insurance ever entered the power-lifting fray.
Samurai Futaba: John Belushi's samurai skills didn't translate to many other professions, most-notably working as an accountant and in a delicatessen.
Coneheads: The Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman family were not of this Earth -- and you would have never noticed if not for their accents.
Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer: Ladies and gentlemen, this classic Phil Hartman character was just a caveman -- things in our modern world frighten and confuse him.
Richard Layer: Rob Schneider's Richmeister was thrilled anytime someone in his office needed to use the Xerox machine. He had as many nicknames for his colleagues as they made copies.
Father Guido Sarducci: Don Novello was a writer for "SNL," where he famously brought the chain-smoking, tinted-glasses-wearing priest. Though the show popularized the character, it wasn't the origination point for Father Guido.
Jack Handey: Jack Handey was the real name of a real "Saturday Night Live" writer who had real funny "Deep Thoughts" during the 1990s.
George W. Bush (Will Ferrell): "SNL" was carried for several years by Ferrell, whose George W. Bush impersonation was so popular that he scored a successful and critically acclaimed one-man show on Broadway.
Mister Robinson: Eddie Murphy's play on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was meant for adult audiences. Where Rogers' town was lovely in every way, Robinson's was terrifying, but incredibly funny.
Robert Goulet (Will Ferrell): Ferrell's Goulet was completely ridiculous -- complete with a catchphrase of just exclaiming "Goulet!" at random times to punctuate a sentence. It was also hilarious, handing Ferrell another well-deserved spot on this Top 40 list.
Irwin Mainway: Dan Aykroyd's sleazy salesman would do anything for a buck -- even it involved selling a Bag O'Glass to children at Christmastime. That kind of dedication qualifies Mainway as an icon in our eyes.
Mr. Bill: The clay character was constantly in danger over the course of his 20-plus show appearances. It's currently unclear if the figure lived long enough to come back for "SNL 40."