Taraji P. Henson’s Net Worth and Salary: The Truth Behind the Numbers

By Rahul Rajput On Jan 1, 2024

Taraji P. Henson Net Worth: A lot of her fans know that Taraji P. Henson is one of those artists who makes you feel everything like they do. You can’t leave a TV show or movie she’s in without being touched, from her unforgettable roles on Empire to The Color Purple.

But Taraji has said she might quit acting because Black women in Hollywood don’t get paid as much as white women do. How much does she make? Read on to find out everything.

Taraji P. Henson Nonetheless Has a Very Large Net Worth

It was Taraji who said, “I’m just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost.” She was pushing the remake of The Color Purple.

“I’m sick of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over.” You get worn out. Some people say, “You work a lot.” “Well, I guess I have to,” she said. “The math isn’t doing itself.” People work together when they do a lot of work. We get big bills for what we do. We’re not doing this by ourselves. We have a whole group behind us. They need to be paid.

Of course, Taraji is a famous person who knows all about the ups and downs of show business. She has been an actor since the late 1990s and has been in movies like Hustle & Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Hidden Figures.

On the plus side, Taraji is still very wealthy; Celebrity Net Worth says she’s worth a cool $12 million.

Taraji has already made more money than most of us will ever see in our lives, but she has never been afraid to speak out against pay inequality in Hollywood. She did this when she was in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Brad Pitt and she still does it now.

More: Derrick Ward Net Worth: How the Former Running Back Made His Fortune?

How Much Money Did Taraji Get From “The Color Purple”?

Many news outlets say that Taraji wrote in her 2016 autobiography that she made less than 2% of Brad’s salary in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. It turned out that Taraji got $150,000, while the longtime Hollywood hottie got $10 million.

At the same time, Taraji says she almost quit The Color Purple because of how much she would be paid.

When she was being interviewed by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, she admitted, “Yes, ma’am.” How am I going to make things easy for Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, and Phylicia Pearl Mpasi if I don’t speak out? What’s the point of this if it’s only for me?”

We don’t know how much Taraji made for the well-reviewed movie. We can say that The Color Purple has already made over $18 million, making it the second-highest-scoring Christmas movie.

How Much Did Taraji P. Henson Make During Her Career?

Her success has had a big effect on her finances. For example, she made $175,000 per episode as Loretha “Cookie” Lyon on the highly acclaimed TV show Empire. Other movies she’s been in include Hidden Figures and Madly Madagascar.

Taraji has been vocal about the pay gap in Hollywood her whole career. A well-known case happened before the 2008 movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” Taraji was paid between $5 and $10 million a year and was billed third, after Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett.

Henson was first given $100,000 for the part. She turned down the studio’s first offer and tried to get $500,000. In the end, the company chose a price of $15,000. Later, Taraji would say that she only got $40,000 for her work on the movie, with a big chunk of that going to her managers and brokers and the other half going to taxes.

Conclusion

Taraji P. Henson, a renowned actor with a net worth of $12 million, has expressed her desire to quit acting due to pay inequality in Hollywood. She has worked in movies like Hustle & Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Hidden Figures.

Despite her success, she has been vocal about pay inequality, stating that she made less than 2% of Brad Pitt’s salary in “The Color Purple.” Taraji has also made $175,000 per episode on the TV shows Empire and Hidden Figures.