Keke Palmer and Taraji P. Henson.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Taraji P. Henson is at the end of her rope with Hollywood’s glaring pay disparity for women of color. In an interview on SiriusXM about her new film, The Color Purple, Henson teared up when discussing how her work is often underpaid, which led to her considering quitting the industry for good. The film’s director, Blitz Bazawule, and Henson’s co-star Danielle Brooks sat alongside her during the talk. “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost,” Henson told host Gayle King on December 19. “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. And you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.” Henson previously discussed inequity in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, adding, “I’ve been fighting tooth and nail every project to get that same freaking quote.”
Henson said pay disparity, together with mounting expenses like taxes and payroll, leave her earning less than it might appear to a casual observer. “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,” she said. “What does that mean? What is that telling me? If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me then what the fuck am I doing?”
The actor’s assessment resonated with other Black actors. Robin Thede seconded Henson’s argument on X, noting that an actor is running a whole operation where a majority of an actor’s gross income does not belong to them, going to expenses like managers and lawyers. “Most of your fave Black actresses make about $250k–$500k for STARRING in movies (so $50-$100k net) and might only get ONE project a year,” she posted online. “This woman is OSCAR NOMINATED – imagine the struggle for 99% of the rest.”
Keke Palmer and Gabrielle Union shared a similar account of Hollywood. Palmer said the entertainment industry functions just like any other industry in America, meaning people’s incomes are shrinking while gig work expands. “We ALL work multiple jobs and we may like some but also because we HAVE to,” Palmer captioned an Instagram post. Union felt Henson was keeping it real, too. The industry takes a toll, she explained. “Not a damn lie told,” Union said in a tweet.
