In an emotional new interview, Henson opens up about how she and other black stars “get a fraction of the price”
Friends of Taraji P. Henson support her.
After Purple actress, 53, has opened up in an emotional new interview about the pay inequality she says she has faced throughout her acting career, with fellow stars offering their support.
“No damn lie was told. No. A. Damn. Lie,” wrote Gabrielle Union in a post on x (formerly Twitter), resharing a clip from Henson’s conversation with Gayle King for SiriusXM radio. In the interview, Empire star broke down in tears as she called out what she sees as a significant pay gap for black women in Hollywood.
“We’re going to BAT for the next generation and heck even our own generation and beyond,” continued Union, 51. “We don’t hesitate to be the change we all need to see AND it will affect your mind, health, soul and career if we stick with it 💯.”
Keke Palmer addressed Henson’s comments about how a Hollywood salary is split between an actor and all the people behind the scenes who support their work, whether it’s agents, publicists or assistants.
“The entertainment industry is like any other industry. We run businesses to maintain our brands, and we are the brand/business,” Not the star wrote on Instagram. “It’s that team of company members that cuts any supposed big lump sum. That includes monthly expenses like everyone else. In Biggie’s words, ‘more money more problems’.”
“To make money you have to spend money so what seems like a lot takes a lot,” Palmer added. “There is still privilege in this, depending on which point of view you look at it, but in our industry among others it has been neutralized.”
Palmer went on to note how many people working in the entertainment industry today juggle different jobs at once, many out of necessity rather than choice.
“We ALL work multiple jobs and some of them we may like, but also because we HAVE to. Being successful and living in America is literally due to the ratio of cash to expenses and this is why entrepreneurship is so important, but it is expensive in itself!” she wrote and concluded her message with a quote from Beyoncé: “America, we have a problem.”
Taraji P. Henson.
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Taraji P. Henson says acting has led her to a ‘bigger life purpose’ of mental health activism
In her SiriusXM interview, which aired Tuesday, Henson addressed the topic of the pay gap after King, 68, asked about past comments she made about possibly quitting acting.
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“I’m just tired of working so hard, being kind to what I do, getting a fraction of the price,” Henson replied. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. I hear people say, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. Math is not calculus.”
She pointed out that behind every successful actor there is a team of people who support him. “The big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone,” she said. “The fact that we’re up here, the whole team is behind us. They have to get paid.”
Taraji P. Henson reveals she’s ‘seriously thinking’ about going abroad: ‘You get tired of fighting’
Henson said her acting salaries are significantly reduced after all of her team’s salaries are paid and taxes are deducted.
“I’m only human and it seems like every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it comes time to renegotiate, I’m back at the bottom like I never did what I just did. And I’m just tired,” she explained. is. “It wears on you.”
“When it comes time to go to bat, they don’t have the money,” she added of her contract negotiations. “They’re playing in your face. And I’m just supposed to smile and grin and bear it and just carry on.”
While Palmer explained the importance of side hustles in her post, Henson has also started side projects — like her TPH hair care line — to increase her income and expand her brand.
“I have other things because this industry, if you let it, will steal your soul. But I refuse to let that happen,” she said.
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Source: HIS Education