Letting her away with murder! Taraji P. Henson tells Ellen she's not sad about losing to Viola Davis at the Emmys

Published: 03:07 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 03:26 EST, 22 September 2015

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She sprang to her feet to celebrate when Viola Davis made history as the first African American to win an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series on Sunday evening.

And Taraji P. Henson, who was nominated in the same category, explained why she was delighted by her loss when she joined Ellen DeGeneres in a pre-recorded show that will air on ABC on Tuesday.

'It was bittersweet - you know what I mean - because we all want to make history and be important to society and everything,' the 45-year-old said.

Elegant in black: Taraji P. Henson told Ellen DeGeneres she was delighted Viola David beat her in the Lead Actress In A Drama Series Emmy category in an interview pre-recorded on Monday for Tuesday's show

'But I think the world needed to hear what she had to say last night.'

The Empire star continued: 'I thought about it. I was like, it’s 2015 and we have a black president and no black woman has ever won. Like this is weird.

'So when I went into it and I knew I was being nominated along side of Viola I just thought to myself God just please give it to one of us so we will never have to say that again. Ya know, let’s just break this barrier down and keep on pushing.'

On the same page: She agreed wholeheartedly when Ellen referred to Viola's moving acceptance speech in which the 50-year-old talked about the lack of opportunities for women of colour

It was a tough category with the pair up against Robin Wright for House Of cards, Elisabeth Moss for Mad Men, Claire Danes for Homeland and Tatiana Maslany for Orphan Black.

But it turned out the generous actress was rooting for Viola, who stars in ABC's How To Get Away With Murder, all along.

'Honestly, I would have felt weird if I had gotten it over her. Ya know what I mean. She’s been doing it longer. You just got to give respect and know when your time is,' she said.

Graceful in defeat: 'It was bittersweet because we all want to make history and be important to society and everything,' the 45-year-old said referring to the fact that Viola is the first African American to win the category

Taraji, who plays matriarch Cookie in the ABC music industry drama, looked chic for her interview in a black dress with a cutout giving a glimpse of her cleavage and a thigh-high split teamed with black strappy sandals.

And she agreed wholeheartedly when Ellen referred to Viola's moving acceptance speech in which the 50-year-old talked about the lack of opportunities for women of colour and thanked industryites, including show creator Shonda Rimes, for doing something to address the situation.

Speaking out: Ellen recalled, 'I love what Viola said, "If the roles don’t exist then you can’t even be nominated and you can’t have a chance to win" '

'I love what she said, "If the roles don’t exist then you can’t even be nominated and you can’t have a chance to win." ' the TV host recalled.

Taraji added: 'And I feel like the universe needed to hear that message.'

The modest actress continued: 'Had I won it wouldn’t have been that message. I mean it woulda been good. Don’t ya know. It woulda been great, but I just think the universe orders up what it needs when it needs it.'

Woman in chains: Taraji, who was one of the first to spring to her feet when the result was announced, told Ellen 'I think the world needed to hear what [Viola] had to say'