Taraji P. Henson continues to rage as one of the most stunning and intricately performing actors in Hollywood’s entertainment industry, with a range as baffling to fans as her emotionally complex performances. Not only has she scored top-notch roles in some of the most critically commended projects of all time, but she has also been tremendously acknowledged for the same.
However, despite being one of the most famous names in the industry who never ceases to bring some of the most electrifying performances to the table, Henson’s net worth as of 2024 might leave you astonished. To say the least, considering her involvement with some spectacularly achieving pieces at the global box offices, her net worth is truly incredibly less than expected.
One of the reasons behind this is inevitably the salary she gets paid in compensation for all the jaw-dropping acts she delivers. While the unequal pay treatment doesn’t always hang around in every single one of her projects, it has still managed to leave her with minimal numbers, and the brave and bold actress has made sure not to be quiet about it at all.
Taraji P. Henson’s Net Worth in 2024 is $12 Million
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Henson’s net worth as of 2024 has been valued at only $12 million. This stands true despite acknowledging that she has been a prominent part of box office blockbusters like Hidden Figures – the 2016 film where she splendidly brought Katherine Johnson to life, and which managed to bring in a stunning $235.9 million on its $25 million budget (via Box Office Mojo).
That’s not all. Further adding stars to her resume are movies like Hustle & Flow (2005), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), Taken from Me: The Tiffany Rubin Story (2011), and her most recent, The Color Purple (2023). Then there are all the television series she spectacularly performed in, which include Empire (2015-2020), Person of Interest (2011-2016), and Abbott Elementary (since 2021), among others.
For all of her outstanding portrayals, Taraji P. Henson has also been thoroughly acknowledged by the Academy, even if most of her projects failed to compensate her handsomely. To say the least, her several accolades include getting nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, a Golden Globe win for Best Actress for Empire, and multiple other Emmy nominations over the years.
Besides being widely recognized for her work as an actress and singer, she was also named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time in 2016, and she became a New York Times bestseller with her autobiography Around the Way Girl as well. Then there’s her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which probably says it all about her innumerable talents and charms.
Taraji P. Henson Earned A Meager Salary for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Even though Taraji P. Henson has proven to be a worthy asset to the industry, she hasn’t quite received fair compensation in return. For one, the salary she received for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button back in 2008 – which is, notably, regarded as one of her best works to date that even landed her an Academy Award nod – was a mere $150,000.
As per Celebrity Net Worth, she was initially offered $100,000 for the role. While she pushed back in the hopes of getting $500,000, the actress eventually had to settle down on $150,000. This stood as an incredibly meager amount in front of ginormous salaries her co-stars Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett made, which was reportedly in the $5 million – $10 million range.
In a 2021 appearance on The Real Daytime, she even broke down her salary for the same, saying: “When you start making that kind of money, Uncle Sam takes 50%, so let’s do the math. So that leaves me with 75,000, then I have to pay another 30% to my team who did all the work to get me that job. So, I don’t pay them 30% of the 75,000, no, no, no, I pay them 30% of the 150,000. So what does that compute to?”
Of course, this salary disparity – which landed her approximately $40,000 for the 2008 movie – is indeed disappointing, especially considering the global box office success of the project, which stood at $335.8 million on its budget of $150 million (via Box Office Mojo). But the worst part about it all is that this wasn’t the only disappointing paycheck that Taraji P. Henson had to make do with.
Taraji P. Henson’s Reported Salary for Her Other Roles
While the confirmed salaries she received for her other star-studded roles are yet to be known for sure, currently, Henson’s paychecks for two of her other all-time best performances have been revealed: The Family That Preys and Empire. And, perhaps for the first time in her life and career, the pay seemed fair and equal (though later deductions as per her math must have still left her with the bare minimum).
Celebrity Net Worth reports that she made $500,000 from her 2008 comedy-drama The Family That Preys, with the actress even crediting director Tyler Perry for being the first person to pay her this much salary. Then there’s Empire, for which she reportedly made $175,000 per episode for starring as Cookie Lyon. Assuming this as her staple income throughout the show’s run, the actress made around a rough $17.85 million for the 102 episodes spread across 5 seasons.
Taraji P. Henson Has Been Vocal About Her Salary Disputes
While The Family That Preys and Empire may have managed to (somewhat) do her justice, Taraji P. Henson hasn’t kept quiet about her salary disputes for her other roles. Appearing in an interview with Gayle King for SiriusXM, she explained the maths behind figuring out how much she actually gets in hand for herself for each of her roles.
The Oscar-nominee candidly explained: “When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account. Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50%. Now have $5 million. Your team is getting 30% off what you gross, not after what Uncle Same took. Now, do the math.”
Continuing, the 54-year-old actress further mentioned just how crazy it drove her every time since even she knows she’s worth a lot more than what her extraordinary performances are valued at.
She said: “I’m only human. 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. What does that mean? What is that telling me? If I can’t fight for them coming up behind me, then what the f–k am I doing?”
Needless to say, it’s truly disheartening to realize that an actress like Henson, who has landed one too many marvelous roles that will continue to leave an indelible mark on viewers’ hearts for ages, gets paid so unbelievably less for her magnificent works. If anything, this once again brings up the issue that the salary disparities in Hollywood really need to be wiped out, once and for all, and real assets like Taraji P. Henson really need to be acknowledged and appreciated more.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
