Taraji P. Henson broke down in tears during a sitdown with Gayle King on SiriusXM, alongside fellow “Color Purple” star Danielle Brooks and the film’s director, Blitz Bazawule, while speaking on the pay disparity in Hollywood.
King asked Henson whether she had considered walking away from the spotlight, causing Henson’s eyes to tear up.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious about what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired,” she explained. Henson continued, “I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. The math ain’t mathing. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. The fact that we’re up here, there’s a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid.”
Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie. We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above. We don't hesitate to be the change that we all need to see AND it takes a toll on your mind, health, soul, and career if we're keepn it 💯 ❤️ u @tarajiphenson https://t.co/Z2cXSK7fta
— Gabrielle Union (@itsgabrielleu) December 20, 2023
Henson, who received a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Cookie Lyon on “Empire,” was also nominated for an Oscar for her role as Queenie in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” starring Brad Pitt.
“It seems every time I do something and I break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again, like I never did what I just did,” she said. “And I’m just tired. It wears on you, you know?” Henson explained.
For her role in Benjamin Button, she asked for $500,000.
“I asked for half a million. That’s it, and they gave me [$150,000],” Henson shared with Variety last October. “Does that make sense? I’m number three on the call sheet. Does that make sense to you? All I was asking was $500,000 – that’s all we were asking for.”
The “Hidden Figures” star has spoken out many times about the vast difference in pay compared to that of her white counterparts.
Taraji P Henson breaking it down for the next generation. She is truly a gift to this world. #KNOWLEDGE #thecolorpurple #strength pic.twitter.com/WTp4iEkFHF
— Temujin Scott (@MrTemujinScott) December 21, 2023
During a conversation in 2019 with Ellen Pompeo for Variety’s “Actors On Actors” series, she opened up about consistently having to prove her worth to the Hollywood elite.
“After Empire, see ’cause it was proving my worth. I think the industry knew I was talented. They got that part, but it’s about money. It’s about — are you bankable? Can you open a film? Will I get what I put in this film back, you know? So, I had to continuously prove that. And it’s like I’ve just been trying to prove it and prove it. That’s why I work so hard,” Henson told Variety at the time.
Now that Taraji P Henson has started a conversation, remember when Monique told us about being unfairly compensated. Eg. Her movie ‘Almost Christmas’ did $45M from a $17M budget, while Amy Schumer’s ‘Snatched’ did $45M from a $42M budget but was instead offered the Netflix deal. pic.twitter.com/NHdg7xlMLS
— ROMEKO ✨🇯🇲 (@_romeko) December 21, 2023
It wasn’t until she worked with Black director Tyler Perry that Henson received her first significant payout.
“I was asking for half a million. I didn’t get paid that until I did my first Tyler Perry film. He was the first person that gave — that broke the standard that I was getting paid for films, and he gave me $500,000.”
