Taraji P. Henson has one of the best “Don’t You Even Think of Messing With Me” faces of all time, right?
One of the things that pisses me off about the success of Empire is that the media has treated the success like an oddity, a blip, a new and exotic bird that should be examined clinically rather than as a good primetime soap opera that appeals to a wide demographic. If Empire starred a primarily white cast, well… first of all, it wouldn’t be as big of a hit, but even if an all-white cast had even a fraction of Empire’s success, the cast members (and mostly the breakout star playing Cookie) would be covering every magazine and trade paper.
I feel for Taraji P. Henson especially – the success she’s had playing Cookie is the culmination of more than 15 years of hard work in Hollywood, and she’s still being shafted for media-attention because she’s seen as “riding the wave” of African-American women on TV. My point? Taraji needs to be getting more for what she brings to the table, whether it’s a pay raise or more media focus or whatever. But she’s not getting any of that. In Touch Weekly reports that Taraji asked for a significant pay raise for Empire’s second season and… she didn’t get it.
Payday just got less exciting for Empire star Taraji P. Henson. An insider exclusively tells In Touch that Taraji is angry that she didn’t get the raise she was expecting for season two of the hit Fox show.
“When she found out what her co-stars got, she threw a fit,” an insider exclusively reveals to In Touch. “She feels she should be compensated much more as the star of the show.”
The actress attempted to meet with producers to renegotiate, but they “flat-out said no,” the insider explains to In Touch. “She was livid.”
I believe it. I believe they probably did give her a raise but it wasn’t nearly as much as she wanted or, let’s face it, as much as she deserved. Hollywood has a terrible record with compensating women the same way men are compensating, unless you’re Charlize Theron (and even then, the producers’ first instinct was to pay Charlize significantly less than Chris Hemsworth). So even though Taraji is the breakout star of Empire, she’s still fighting for what’s rightfully hers.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fox/’Empire’.
From major celebs to factory workers pay inequality based on gender must be called out and rectified. It is economic repression to say the very least and felonious misogyny as well. I feel somewhat inarticulate with frustration at the moment but I know you guys will get what I’m saying here.
You sound right on to my 6:22 a.m. brain!
OT, I love her so much and can’t wait for the new season!
Cookie Lyon IS Empire! She is by far the main attraction, and her one liners are the best since Joan Collins played Alexis. Long live Queen Cookie!
If she goes, I go!
She needs to win an Emmy and then she can ask again. She is a great actress and has been nominated a lot but didn’t win the Oscar or the Emmy.
On paper, she should be getting similar to Terrence Howard.
She was also fantastic on POI. Broke my heart when she left. Give her what she wants, guys!!
She absolutely deserves a raise now. When Season 1 salary was negotiated, they didn’t know the show would be this successful or able to bring so many eyes to the ads shown during commercial breaks. SHE is a huge part of the success and should be compensated appropriately.
I feel the same. If she go’s, the show won’t be the same. It’s her character that makes the show. They need to pay her what she deserves.
The thing with TV salaries is you either need a cast to band together as a group (Friends), or you need to be an irreplaceable character and make the network think you really will leave the show if you don’t get what you ask for (Gandolfini, The Soprano’s). If you can’t do either, you’re not going to get very far, especially after just one short season.
She’s no doubt contracted to do a few seasons and I doubt she’s in a financial position to break that contract, so she really has no leverage. Empire is hugely entertaining, but these OTT soapy dramas tend to flame out after a few seasons, so they probably aren’t overly concerned with keeping her happy now so she sticks around for season 8 iykwim.
What the Friends did ensured they wouldn’t get as much if they’d acted individually. If they’d each negotiated separately, some would have gotten more than others (Joey). The cast of The Big Bang Theory thought about doing that, but then realized they didn’t want to make what Kunal is making (which is significantly less than everyone else, if the press is to be believed).
Most of the time raises aren’t (automatically) done until the 2nd season is in the bag, IIRC. So if she signed on for less money than the rest in the beginning, she’s stuck with it until after season 2. And besides, you always ask for more than they are willing to pay, just so you end up, where you wanted to be all along.
The friends cast mad $1 million per episode, which was huge money back then. I think they did just fine banding together.
I haven’t watched the show but I know all about cookie and don’t know a single other character name so I think it is safe to say she is irreplaceable.
From what I understand she is the show. Beyond that she is an incredible actress and worth the money, they should have given it to her.
She has the best b!tch face. Definitely don’t mess with her.
What Jessica said.
Also, haven’t really had a good female character on a soap since Alexis Colby Carrington Dexter. Cookie is glorious.
Cookie would get that raise!
The Sixlets watch Empire. It’s SO not up my alley (not big on soapy dramas, don’t like shows based around music because the music in them is always such pap – feel the same about the country one with Mrs Coach in it). So I read my book when it’s on.
But here’s the thing: every single time there’s a big Cookie scene, I end up stopping reading and watching it. Taraji P Henson has charisma out the wazoo and she can dominate the screen. I love that. Even the Sixlets, who are still pretty much in the stage of thinking girls are different to me and therefore they all suck, think Cookie is the best character in the show.
Yeah, I haven’t consistently watched it to know what’s going on, but same here in terms of stopping and watching. I think she IS the show. Or at least the most compelling part of it.
Sixer: And now for my history update…….
Did you know that Empire is inspired by THE LION IN WINTER?
That film is inspired by Henry 2’s drama with his wife Eleanor of Acquitaine and their 3 sons.
Of course if you don’t find that story fascinating, then empire is not going to interest you.
Ps: I tend to cringe at the music interludes, usually go make myself a cup of tea, so I get where you are coming from on that point.
Full disclosure: I adore Eleanor of Acquitaine, and I usually hate every hollywood telling of her story and her character portrayal, but Cookie is a fabulous version of her.
I LOVE Eleanor! One of the most badass medieval women. Cookie and Eleanor compliment each othes so well. Have you read A King’s Ransom? Or Captive Queen?
Ha. Thanks, LAK! Everyone loves Eleanor (and KH). Everyone hates Henry. So they’re not far off the mark, are they?
I love that that’s the inspiration for the show, but for me, the soapy tropes are so strong that it’s Dallas but in Chicago not Dallas and with music not oil – not a West Side Story-level updating of a love story from history. I’m not in any way criticising it for that or you for enjoying it because of its inspiration. As Kaiser points out, there’s nothing wrong with a good primetime soap opera. I just prefer watching other styles of TV, you know?
I thought the show was inspired by King Lear?
The creators have referenced both King Lear and The Lion In Winter.
Cookie IS the show. But that said, I would be shocked if she was getting more money than Terrance Howard. Even though she absolutely deserves to be.
She can actually act, unlike Terrence Howard.
She makes Terrence Howard look second rate, and if he’s getting more than her (I would die of shock if he isn’t) then it’s a crime. Lucious isn’t a compelling or interesting character, Howard doesn’t steal scenes or hold focus at all. He’s boring and one note. Taraji is incredible and fully deserves all the money.
I would not be surprised if Taraji gets a raise now. All this attention may force the producers to change their minds. The fans of the show and Taraji are very vocal
Everyone on that show should get a raise, it has to be raking in the cash, and hers should be significant- she makes the show. She’s the reason I checked it out, and the reason I keep watching. Howard on the other hand, I watch it despite him being on it.
They should give her a percentage of the profits, really.
That was the word about her hospital stay. She was negotiating.
I want her and Justin Theroux to compete in an eyebrow-off. May the best eyebrow emoter win!
Not only is the fact that she is a female but that she is also not white is against her in the Hollywood food chain.
Hopefully one day only talent will matter when it comes to salary in any form of career.
Taraji’s Empire costars are black and they make more money. Her not being white doesn’t seem to be factor in this case.
I’m curious how do you know her co stars make more than she does? I seriously doubt any of her co stars make more than she does with maybe the exception of Terrence.The rest of the cast are relatively unknowns or not full time cast members.In Touch Weekly knows nothing.If Deadline,Variety or The Hollywood Reporter reported this then maybe I would believe it.
“When she found out what her co-stars got,she threw a fit”. That’s an indication that they make more money or they’re all making the same amount. Either way it has nothing to do with color since it’s an all black cast.
that’s the part of the article that makes me question it
i have no problem believing terrence is unfairly making more. but the rest of those people? honestly they could recast over the summer and i might not even notice. she is an oscar nominee fresh off another show and they are not at all recognizable or memorable (esp that awful 3rd son). i have a hard time believing they are making what she is making.
Actually for any famous person… be it an athlete, actor, celebrity… where they earn their income from… is from personal endorsements. Not their actual job, they are famous from.
It is why when you have the fame… you make your own brand. Because with a little decent fame… you can earn a ridiculous amount of cash endorsing products. With the minimal amount of effort.
TV shows are a grind. And it is rare, that it earns you big money up front, in salary. What you want from it is the fame. And having it pay you back, for years to come, when it hits syndication. Get an producer credit on it. And see it as your 401K plan.
But while your show is hot. Get out there and endorse everything you like the looks of. It pays better. And if you manage to boost the image of the products you are hustling. It will pay you more than any TV show ever would.
Having a hit show… can turn into personal ATM for your future. If you have enough hustle, to get those endorsements.
WTF? I guess that blind was about her. Bitches better have her money, though. She owns every scene she is in. And if Terrence Howard was getting paid more than me, I’d be pissed too.
Agree. She has seriously upstaged Terrence.
What a fabulous actress she is – her roles in ‘Empire’ and that ‘Deeds’ movie are poles apart but she performed excellently in both. I wonder what her per-episode rate is … I’m going to guess about $100k. But don’t feel sorry for her – she’s worth a staggering $275m thanks to some savvy investing!!!!
I doubt she has even reached the $10m mark for net worth.
Taraji is amazing and brings life to each character she portrays. I agree with Kaiser. She deserves more. I’m also kind of annoyed that she’s just now getting attention, as if she hasn’t been an amazing actress for some time now.
If this is true, then I am livid. Taraji’s Cookie makes that show. I’m sure everyone puts a lot of effort into bringing it together, but Cookie is the show and without Taraji’s performance it would just be “Hip-Hop Glee”. They need to rectify this situation because it’s time for Cookie (Taraji) to get hers!
Pssst — Yowza…the photos in the gallery are all squoze. They don’t look right at all, too tall and skinny….
Terrence Howard is also a documented woman-beater. Before I knew that, I had a huge crush on him and watched everything he was in. Now I can’t stand him and won’t watch anything he’s in. I feel the same way about Sean Penn, another documented woman-beater.
I haven’t read all the comments but I think there is a little more to this than has been mentioned. It appears that her agents brokered a pay rise for season two and she signed the contract, then she decided or was convinced she was worth more and wanted the contract altered, they said no.
It has only been one season, it’s much easier for show runners to kill off even lead actors (e.g Kaitlyn in NCIS) at the beginning of a series than 3 or 4 seasons in, she would have done better to wait it out until next year and keep all the drama quite, as it stands with all the publicity about it she has made the hierarchy look really bad, which they won’t appreciate and it’s not good for her reputation within the industry to appear to be difficult or a trouble maker even if it is justified. A season or two more and she would have been in an unassailable position. Sometimes it’s better to just wait it out than burn your bridges.
Fox better wise up! Taraji IS the show. She’s so talented and amazing AND nice – nicest celeb I’ve ever encountered. Give her whatever she wants you sexist morons!
Fox better lay some $ cream for Cookie!!! Love you Taraji!