Taraji P. Henson talks about battling pay disparity in Hollywood: 'The math ain't mathing'

Taraji P. Henson, a cast member in "The Color Purple," poses at the premiere of the film at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Taraji P. Henson has a lot of thoughts about the pay disparity in Hollywood.

The 53-year-old actor expressed her frustrations through tears while doing press for her film The Color Purple.

"I'm just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do, getting paid a fraction of the cost," Henson told Gayle King on SiriusXM. "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.' Well, I have to. The math ain't mathing."

She said entertainers often have a team behind them that shares in any pay cheque – and that's not to mention the chunk claimed by Uncle Sam.

"When you start working a lot, you know, you have a team," the Empire star continued. "Big bills come with what we do. We don't do this alone. There's a whole entire team behind us. They have to get paid."

Henson said her previous accomplishments – which include several Emmy nominations and an Academy Award nomination – don't carry weight when it comes time to negotiate a salary, a problem affecting many Black female actors.

"Every time I do something and I 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 just tired," she explained.

"It wears on you – 'cause what does that mean? What is that telling me? And if I can't fight for (the Black female actors) coming up behind me, then what the (expletive) am I doing?"

Henson said her struggle for equal pay is part of the reason she branched out, adding business ventures. A growing number of actors are finding alternative forms of revenue.

And Henson is among Black women in Hollywood who have launched hair-care products in recent years.

Others include Tracee Ellis Ross with Pattern, Issa Rae and Hannah Diop with Sienna Naturals, Gabrielle Union with Flawless and Tia Mowry with 4U.

It's part of a boom in the beauty industry, which has benefited from Black buying power but seen only a small number of Black business owners prosper.

"That's why I have other things. I have my TPH brand and I have my mental wellness brand," Henson said. "I have other things because this industry, if you let it, it'll steal your soul. But I refuse to let that happen." – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service