Terrence Howard got the attention he was seeking with his latest interview after wearing a Farrah Fawcett-esque wig while discussing his legal woes and industry gripes.
The Oscar-nominated actor got candid about why he was forced out of retirement to pay millions in a criminal tax evasion lawsuit and his complaints against Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Disney, and Fox. In a nearly two-hour interview on Straight Talk with host Daphne Joy, Howard explained his legal pursuit against the media giants due to his complaints of pay disparity and having his Hustle & Flow persona used without his permission during his time starring on the hit scripted series Empire.
“I had an issue at Fox and Disney because…the image that you see of us in Empire, profile, that came from a still shot from Hustle & Flow
, they took that, flipped that, and put it on everything,” Howard claimed.“They took the trademark of it, sold it around the world, didn’t ask my permission…That image is worth $100 million at least for how much money that they made from it. We got a forensic photographer to find the actual frame.”
With the Iron Man star being represented by CAA while starring on Empire, he’s going after the mega-agency for allegedly taking part in the shady business dealings that garnered a lowball payout when compared to his white counterparts on the Big Bang Theory.
“They were getting $2 million, damn near $3 million an episode. Those white kids…that had no name recognition, no Oscar nominations, none of that. We have 28 million viewers, and these jokers are paying me $325,000 an episode.”
The Best Man star is convinced that his agents at CAA were profiting from the pay disparity he faced at Fox and is going after them for over $100 million in what he feels he’s owed.
“Every year, I’m asking my agents what’s going on…I didn’t know that the packaging deal…my agents were incentivized to keep my pay low. They owe me over $120 million based on what would’ve been paid to white counterparts, so now I’m in the process of suing them,” he shared.
He also calls out a $666 paycheck he allegedly received after demanding his back-owed funds from CAA.
“When I asked about my money, they sent me a check for
$666 dollars….666 exactly…So I was like, y’all trying to threaten me. This is a threat right here. And y’all think I’m scared? Y’all think I’m going to be quiet? Because I wonder what you’re doing to every other Black artist,” Howard said.Elsewhere, Howard opened up about his tax evasion case that resulted in a federal judge in Philadelphia ordering him to pay a $1 million penalty in back taxes last month. The actor is accused of trying to dodge his tax payments due to his belief that it is “immoral” to tax the descendants of slaves.
As serious as the talking points in Howard’s interview were, his choice of wearing a feathered wig during the tell-all has the internet in shambles. After a clip of the interview surfaced online, many clowned Howard’s hairpiece instead of supporting his gripes against the entertainment industry.
“What’s up with the pimp hair cut,” one user wrote.
“Charlie’s angels hair is crazy 😂,” added someone else.
Howard might’ve wanted to attract buzz around his latest interview and opted to pull out the feathery look to garner attention.
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