Terrence Howard says he led the cast of Empire, wrote songs for the series, and served as an uncredited producer, yet “never received the compensation” he deserved.
Howard held a news conference on Friday, Dec. 8, in Los Angeles at The Cochran Firm to announce a lawsuit against his former agents at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), for alleged conflict of interest and for urging him to accept a salary much lower than “white actors that are comparable” in experience and accolades.
“Typically, someone’s pay is a private matter. I hate to have to have a public conversation about it. But today, it’s about seeking equanimity,” Howard said.
The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court right after the news conference.
Related Story: Terrence Howard Hires High-Powered LA Attorneys for Lawsuit Over ‘Empire’ Salary
As he stood in front of reporters and photographers, Howard insisted he decided to file the complaint as a last resort.
“I trusted CAA to look after me, and they looked after themselves,” Howard stated.
The actor said he only learned in the last two years that he was underpaid, and said he expected his agents to look out for his best interest. Instead, he alleged their primary concern was lining their own pockets.
James Bryant, an attorney representing the actor, accused CAA of self-dealing. The attorney said the agency represented Empire co-creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong, as well as the show’s producers at Imagine Entertainment, while also representing Howard.
The practice of representing producers or directors, and talent on the same project is known as “bundling” or “packaging.”
“CAA simply told Mr. Howard, ‘We’re not going to take your 10 percent agency fee because this time we sort of packaged things together, so that’s a good thing.’ But in reality, it was a terrible thing,” Bryant said. “It was a terrible thing because they had absolutely no incentive to fight for this man when he demanded to have his contract renegotiated at a salary that was comparable to every other lead white male and female actor out there who had created a show that was so popular.”
Urban Hollywood 411 contacted CAA for comment, but so far the agency has not responded.
Empire launched to nearly 10 million viewers in January 2015. At one point, the show climbed to a record 17.6 million viewers.
The drama centered on a hip-hop mogul, played by Howard, and the fight over his fortune. Taraji P. Henson co-starred on the series alongside Jussie Smollett, Bryshere Y. Gray, and Trai Byers.
The primetime staple aired for six seasons on Fox and at one time was the No. 1 broadcast drama series for the 18-49 demographic.
However, Howard said his pay didn’t keep up as the show’s ratings climbed.
“When we began, I think I was being paid $125 [thousand] an episode,” Howard said. “At the very height, all I was able to get, in year six, was $325,000 an episode, even though I wrote 10-15 songs… never was given a producer’s position, even though I redirected and rewrote most of those scenes, and helped all of those actors and acted in the capacity of the producer.”
As a comparison, the actor’s attorneys mentioned Jon Hamm of Mad Men; Kevin Spacey of House of Cards; and Jim Parsons from The Big Bang Theory, saying those actors — who are all white — were paid much more than Howard. In 2017, Forbes reported Parsons was paid $1 million per episode on The Big Bang Theory.
Before joining Empire, Howard had roles in the films Crash, Hustle & Flow, Four Brothers and Iron Man. He received a best actor Oscar nomination for his role as pimp and aspiring rapper, Djay, in Hustle & Flow.
Attorney Carlos Moore of the Carlos Moore Law Group is also representing Howard. Moore said the actor achieved great success, but because he is Black, race was likely a factor in his “lowball” Empire pay.
“Rest assured, no stone will go unturned,” said Moore. “We will get down to the bottom with this. I believe discovery will show that this was racism. You won’t find in discovery, that a white Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning actor was treated like this. You won’t find it during the course of discovery, that’s what I believe.”
Moore called the complaint “the tip of the iceberg,” and suggested a class action lawsuit is in the works.
Meanwhile, Howard admitted he might be blacklisted for taking on the powerful CAA, but said, “It’s time for change.”
Watch the video below from Friday’s news conference with Terrence Howard.
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