(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) A popular black actress broke down when confirming reports that she considered quitting acting due to the meager pay she received after deductions by “Uncle Sam.”
In a viral interview on Gayle King in the House, Bernie Sanders-backer Taraji P. Henson, known for her role in Empire alongside embattled actor Jussie Smollett, listed high taxes and inequality as the main reasons she almost exited her lifelong career as an actor.
NEW: Hollywood actress Taraji P. Henson sobs for not getting paid enough & complains that the government takes too much money.
Stop voting Democrat.
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do & getting paid a fraction of the cost.”
“Uncle Sam is getting… pic.twitter.com/5B4LamM9oL
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) December 20, 2023
“I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson said during the Gayle King’s SiriusXM show. “I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired. I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ I have to. The math ain’t math-ing.”
Moreover, Henson declared that at least half of her gross earnings from highly-acclaimed movies were claimed by taxes.
“When you hear someone saying, ‘Oh, such and such made $10 million,’ know that didn’t make it to their account. Know that off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50%. Ok? Do the math, now we have $5 million. Your team is getting 30% off what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now do the math,” she continued.
In a 2019 interview with Variety, Henson expressed anger, stating she was paid $100,000 for her role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. She said she initially requested $500,000.
“I asked for half a million. That’s it,” Henson said. “And they gave me $100,000. Does that make sense? I’m No. 3 on the call sheet. Does that make sense to you? All I was asking was $500,000 – that’s all we were asking for.”
Despite receiving numerous accolades, including an Oscar nomination, the actress struggles to be paid according to her perceived worth.
“I’m only human,” she said. “It seems every time I do something and break another glass ceiling, when it’s time to renegotiate, I’m at the bottom again like I never did what I just did, and I’m tired. I’m tired. It wears on you.”
Henson gained notoriety for her roles in Hidden Figures, What Men Want, and her most recent project, The Color Purple. Her popular TV show, Empire, was canceled amid the turmoil surrounding Smollett’s false claims of being attacked by supporters of former President Donald Trump.
The website Celebrity Net Worth estimated Henson’s total net worth at $12 million. In the run-up to the 2020 presidential election, Henson backed then-candidate Joe Biden but previously voiced support for Sanders, I-Vt., a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist.
In March 2022, Biden tapped Henson to serve on the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
