While it has been decades since Taraji P Henson rose to prominence, her fortune over the years doesn’t exactly reflect her notable accomplishments in the field. Unlike her fellow white peers, being a person of color, Henson spoke out about just earning a fraction of what she should actually make from her work, which has made her reconsider acting altogether.
Overwhelmed by emotions, Taraji P Henson recently broke into tears, as she expressed her exhaustion and frustration after years of fighting for equal pay, which is still pretty much not the case.
Taraji P Henson Is Tired of the Pay Disparity in Hollywood
Known for starring in several acclaimed projects over the past 20 years, which has earned her a plethora of Emmy nods and an Oscar nom, Henson’s net worth doesn’t exactly reflect that. While she has gone toe to toe with some of the best the realm of cinema has to offer, including Jackie Chan, Brad Pitt, and Kevin Costner, she has earned substantially less than her onscreen peers. And reflecting on the racial pay disparity in Hollywood, The Color Purple Star recently broke down into tears, as she expressed her exhaustion over fighting for the right pay over and over again.
In her SiriusXM sit-down with Gayle King, Taraji P Henson said,
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost. I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. It seems every time 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.”
While she has considered giving up acting altogether, as she has been tired of running circles for over two decades, the actor expressed that she doesn’t want to give up fighting for the ones behind her.
Taraji P Henson Has Been Fighting the Same Battle for Years
Apart from being severely underpaid for her work as she only gets to keep a mere 20% of her paycheck, while the rest is divided between her team and taxes, she also has to keep on battling for the same role. Even if the director wants her for the part, Taraji P Henson revealed that she still had to audition for a similar role that she’s been doing for years. She told THR:
“I’ve been fighting tooth and nail every project to get that same freaking quote… I’ve tried twice to walk away. But I can’t, because if I do, how does that help the ones coming up behind me?”
The substantial disparity in wages for people of color isn’t something new in Hollywood and has been a point of concern in the industry for decades. Oprah Winfrey, who is producing the forthcoming musical adaptation of The Color Purple, revealed that she was paid a mere $35,000 for the original film, which transformed her into a movie star.
