‘Empire’ Star Taraji P. Henson, Amy Schumer Take Home Critics’ Choice

For one Empire star, ascendancy to the throne has been a long time coming.

At last night's fifth annual Critics' Choice Awards, Taraji P. Henson, who plays the FOX drama's tough-as-nails Cookie Lyon, took home the trophy for Best Actress in a Drama series — and spoke to the power of resilience upon accepting her award.

"I've been doing this for a minute, but some people like to say I'm new to the game," she said. "I'll take that—that means I can relive my twenties again!"

Meanwhile, on entertainment's comedic side, Satirical Queen Amy Schumer earned the award for best Actress in a Comedy Series for her eponymous Inside Amy Schumer, while former Arrested Development star Jeffrey Tambor earned some rightful recognition for his role as Maura Pfefferman, a retired college professor who comes out as transgender to his adult children, on Amazon's Transparent.

"I've been given the wonderful gift of having a world where I have to act—and we all have to act—because other people's lives depend on it," Tambor insisted to a crowd of his peers.

Schumer, who wasn't able to attend, couldn't help but get similarly (and a bit uncharacteristically) sentimental once she received notice of the honor.