"The math ain't mathing"- Taraji P Henson on Gender Pay Disparities in Hollywood
During the promotion of her upcoming film "The Color Purple," actress Taraji P. Henson voiced her displeasure with the industry's ongoing gender and racial pay disparities.
Henson addressed the allegations that she was contemplating a career change in an interview with Gayle King, co-host of "CBS Mornings" on SiriusXM. She blamed the financial inequality she's experienced in the profession for her visibly distressed state of mind.
"I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost," said Henson. "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 mathing. And when 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 entire team behind us. They have to get paid."
She continued by saying that her team receives 30% of the claimed compensation for her projects and that "Uncle Sam" takes 50%.
"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," said Henson.
In his commentary, co-star Blitz Bazawule, who was also present, addressed the controversy surrounding the film's casting of Henson, Brooks, and Fantasia Barrino-Taylor.
"Especially for Black women, and I'm going to be very specific — it's like you were never here," the director said. "And the fact that every single one of you had to audition for this role — roles that were second nature to you. Roles that no one should even question the minute the name comes up. The question is, 'How much do you have?'"
According to research conducted last year by the National Women's Law Center, which found that women of color encounter disproportionately large wage gaps, Henson's story is reflective of a larger problem.
In a 2019 interview with Variety, the actress revealed that her earnings for her Oscar-nominated role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" were only $150,000, so this isn't her first public statement on the matter.
Henson received social media support from colleagues such as Gabrielle Union and Robin Thede.
"Taraji is telling the absolute TRUTH. 70-80% of GROSS income is gone off top for taxes & commissions (agents, managers, lawyers)," Thede posted as part of a longer thread on the subject.
"Not a damn lie told. Not. A. Damn. Lie. We go TO BAT for the next generation and hell even our own generation and above. We don't hesitate to be the change that we all need to see AND it takes a toll on your mind, health, soul, and career if we're keepn it 100," Union wrote as well.