The 2023 Emmys rolled out the red carpet for its stars, and Taraji P. Henson lit up the whole event! The Color Purple actress, 53, stunned in her outfit while posing for pictures at Los Angeles’ Peacock Theater on Monday, January 15.
Taraji wore a plum purple-colored high-slit gown while posing for the cameras. She accessorized with a pair of Simon G earrings, and she tied her hair up in a sleek ponytail.
The four-time Emmy nominee has made headlines recently for addressing the drawbacks of the industry, specifically for Black actors. Despite the fact that many assume Taraji earns millions from her successful projects, the Howard University graduate pointed out that this isn’t the case.
“When you hear someone go, ‘Such and such made $10 million,’ that didn’t make it to their account,” she said during a December 2023 SiriusXM interview. “Off the top, Uncle Sam is getting 50 percent. Now have $5 million [sic]. Your team is getting 30 percent of what you gross, not after what Uncle Sam took. Now, do the math.”
The Empire alum then noted that she’s “only human” and expanded on her point further by acknowledging the setbacks she still faces as a Black actress.
“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,” she said. “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?”
Taraji also noted that she is “just tired of working so hard, being gracious at what I do [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost,” adding that she has to “work a lot” because she has to. Not only that, but, like other celebrities, Taraji has to pay her team, which includes agents, managers, stylists and more.
“I’m tired of hearing my sisters say the same thing over and over. You get tired,” the Washington D.C. native said. “I hear people go, ‘You work a lot.’ Well, I have to. The math ain’t math-ing. When you start working a lot, you have a team. Big bills come with what we do. We don’t do this alone. It’s a whole team behind us. They have to get paid.”
Taraji became emotional during the interview, eventually breaking down in tears over the constant grind she and other Black actors continue to face in Hollywood.
“Twenty-plus years in the game, and I hear the same thing, and I see what you do for another production, but when it’s time to go to bat for us, they don’t have enough money,” she noted, before adding, “And I’m just supposed to smile and grin and bear it. Enough is enough! That’s why I have other [brands] because this industry, if you let it, it will steal your soul. I refuse to let that happen.”